


(Inferno) Squad Goals

by dinui_parjai



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Battlefront (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, College AU, F/M, Gen, Instead of the Corvus they have an apartment, Modern AU, They’re roughly the same ages as each other except Seyn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 74,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22854994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinui_parjai/pseuds/dinui_parjai
Summary: Iden and Hask have been friends for years, and for most of their college career they’ve been each other’s only roommates. Until Iden’s father calls in a favor and informs them that they’ll have two more students joining them. Neither of them are happy about it, but maybe they might not all kill each other after all...-Chapters named for ease of understanding what part of the story is modernized!-Meeting/Bonding/Memories=focuses on some kind of established relationship or plays with the idea of a possible memoryBrothers/Zeehay/Seyn=focuses on specific relationships or charactersConflict/Infiltration=exactly that, both from the book and gamePlanet names=mostly to line up the game portion
Relationships: Del Meeko and Gideon Hask, Del Meeko and Seyn Marana, Gideon Hask and Seyn Marana, Iden Versio & Del Meeko, Iden Versio & Gideon Hask, Iden Versio & Seyn Marana, Iden Versio/Del Meeko, Iden Versio/Gideon Hask (one-sided)
Comments: 49
Kudos: 10





	1. Meeting

“Well, at least your roommate is actually your age.” Iden grumbled to Hask as they sat across from each other at lunch.

“Yeah, but he’s a transfer from Coruscant. Probably some rich snob who’ll mess with all my things. I’ll go back to the apartment after class and find everything mismatched.”

“What if she follows me around?” Iden wondered, anticipating her upcoming transition as well. Senior year of college, and it was the first time she would have a roommate. She and Gideon Hask had been living in the same apartment for awhile, but now they’d each be sharing a room with someone else. Someone new.

“We should still try to be nice. I don’t know exactly what went on at the Coruscant Academy but it couldn’t have been pretty. Transfers are coming in from all over. Has your father said anything?”

“I heard there was some scandal with their pricipal.” Iden put in. “But I have no idea why so many are relocating. You’re going to beat me home today, so you can ask them yourself.”

“You’d leave me at home with some strangers?” He gasped, putting a hand to his chest. “Iden, I thought we were friends!”

She just rolled her eyes as she stood up to throw away her trash. “Love you too, Gideon.”

She was the only one who called him that. Everyone else called him Hask. The only people who hadn’t were the substitute teachers in secondary school who didn’t get the message that kids had nicknames. 

She saw him follow her out of the corner of her eye. “Who’s cooking tonight?”

“I was thinking we’ll take our new friends out and show them the area.”

“Good idea. I’ll see you after class.” 

“Bye.” Iden waved and headed down the hall towards the fine arts wing while Hask went out the cafeteria doors and to his bike. The apartment was in an ideal location not too far from the university and he quite enjoyed the journey there and back. However, that attitude left him when he saw the new and unfamiliar vehicle in front of his and Iden’s apartment. 

_Whoever it is took_ my _spot. Not a very good first impression._

His face souring, Hask parked his bike somewhere else and headed up the walkway, the three flights of stairs and to the door. As he turned the handle to the apartment, he could hear that the TV was on.

 _So they’ve already taken over the living room,_ he scowled as he turned the handle on the door.

_Remember, you’re doing this because the Admiral -_ that was how they referred to Iden’s dad- _asked you to. You want to stay on his good side._

So he opened the door without knowing what to expect. The TV was on, yes, but there was nobody watching from the couch.

Hask heard the sound of a chair scraping on the ground and turned to see a man stand up from the kitchen table. “Sorry. I have to have background noise on while I work.”

“That’s alright.” Hask eyed the new roommate as he stood and held out his hand to shake. The man stood a few inches taller than himself, with dark hair and smiling green eyes. 

“Del Meeko.”

“Gideon Hask.”

“Oh, I know.” Del said enthusiastically. “I had to say I was quite surprised when I found out I would be bunking with you. Versio’s got quite a sphere of influence.”

“You’re right about that.” Hask agreed and watched Del turn off the TV and close his books.  


“I didn’t move my stuff yet,”Del informed him. “Just in case you were particular. Seyn’s already made herself at home.”

“Iden won’t mind.” Hask said dryly, knowing that Iden most definitely would mind and it would be quite a spectacle when she returned.

“Where is she, anyway?” Del wondered.

“Her father insisted she take a few extra class, but I’m not entirely sure what they are. Iden isn’t happy about it one bit, but she enjoys the professor. Come on, let’s get sorted out. I hope you don’t mind taking the top bunk.”

“I don’t think I weigh enough to be a worry.” Del joked, and Hask gave a slight chortle in response. They sorted out sides in the bathroom and times they’d each take a shower, and whose clothes went where.

“Just a warning.” Hask also said as he watched Del climb up and fix his sheets. “Iden claims I snore.”

“I shared a room with two brothers. Won’t phase me.” Del jumped down with ease and fixed his jacket. “That’s out of the way. Now which desk is yours? They both look pretty clean so I couldn’t tell.”

“You can have the one on the right.” Hask said, and Del promptly dropped all of his engineering and calculus textbooks onto it, scattering dust.

“So what’s the deal with your friend Seyn? Shehasn’t come out to say hello.” Hask asked, wondering if Del picked up on the underlying message: _if you’re going to be living in my house I’d better know who you are._

“She’ll say hi when Iden gets here, I assume. Seyn is a bit of an... interesting character. Graduated high school at thirteen. Now she’s fourteen and attending university.”

_ That’s what annoyed Iden, then, the girl is nearly a decade younger than her._

“Impressive.” Hask just grunted.

Del coughed awkwardly to fill the now silent space. “So, uh, when does Iden get back?”

“Right about now.” Hask said as his watch hit 16:10.

Seyn chose that moment to walk out of her and Iden’s room. Hask noted that she was a small little thing, much shorter than he was with a pixie cut of black hair. In fact, she looked so out of place that the sight of her actually amused Hask a bit, and he had to admit she did look as if she could be Iden’s kid sister.

_If Iden had ever had a goth phase, that is._

Seyn and Gideon locked eyes for an awkward moment and the girl blew a bubble with her gum and tapped furiously on the doorway.

”Yes. I know, didn’t you hear her come in?” Del said to his friend, tapping a pen- where in the world had he gotten that?- against his thigh in response.   
  
Seyn just shrugged and walked off, and Del turned to a confused Hask like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. 

”Morse code.” Del explained, tapping the pen to his temple. “Comes quite in handy when you’re sitting close to each other in your exams.”

”Couldn’t she have just used her words?” Hask wondered, wondering even more what he and Iden were now subject to.

”I told you. She’s an interesting character.” Del shrugged and slid his pen back into his shirt pocket. “I’m going to go say hi.” 

Mumbling to himself, Hask followed, and locked eyes with Iden as soon as he got to the living room. Her expression back said nearly the same as his: _I don’t like this, either._

Iden wasn’t that alarmed by Del. He seemed nice enough, and the laughter lines under his eyes made it clear that he was a jokester. That was fine- sometimes she needed something besides Hask’s brooding nature around her.

But the girl, Seyn? She was something else. For one thing, she was small, almost fragile-looking, though Iden supposed she was anything but that.

“How old _are_ you?” Iden blurted before she could stop herself.

It was the wrong question to ask, for some reason. Seyn’s eyes narrowed and she simply snapped that she was, “old enough.” 

“Charming.” Hask told Iden when Seyn, who seemed to be offended, went back to her and Iden’s room.

”I only got to talk to her on the plane ride over. Never met her before then. From what I can tell she’s got something going on up here.” Del tapped his head with his pen again.”But then again... don’t we all?”

”What’s that supposed to mean?” Iden asked, and Del flushed a bit, embarrassed. 

“Nothing, I suppose. My point is I know as much about her as you two do.”

”All I know about her is that she’s in my room and if she’s moved anything, she’s dead.” Iden said and shoved her bag into Hask’s chest by way of punctuating her statement and marched down the hall. 

Del looked between where Iden had gone and Hask. “Are you two-“

”Yes.” Hask interrupted. It was a lie, but he wasn’t about to make it seem in any way that either Del or Seyn should try getting in the way of him or Iden. They were only here because they had to be, and Iden and Hask would continue their lives as if they weren’t there. If that meant Del thought they were a couple, so be it.

He dropped Iden’s backpack onto the table. “How long was the plane ride?”

”Oh, you know like... ten hours. Nothing too bad, I don’t mind flying. In fact, I’d like to be a pilot. Or an engineer, since my older brother’s already become one.”

“Really? That’s what I’m minoring in.” Hask said, sweeping past Del to the fridge. “Soda?” He held out a can of coke.

”Eugh. I’m more of a Pepsi guy myself.” Del crinkled his nose but still accepted it. 

”We may have a problem, then.” Hask smiled a bit as he took a sip from his own can and leaned against the counter. “So, brothers, have you?”

Del nodded. “Yep. Two of them.”

”You must the youngest, then.” 

“How’d you know?”

”Well, you’re much too polite to be the oldest. A firstborn child would’ve marched in here and taken the place over. Know how I know?” Hask pointed down the hall towards where Iden had disappeared. 

“Alright. So I’m not the oldest. How do you know I’m not the middle?”

”You’re too friendly.” Again, Hask was comparing him to Iden, who was definitely a firstborn (and only) child like himself.

“Oh, just wait. That will change. Especially after this caffeine makes its way into my system.” Del grinned as well, and then both of the men turned when Iden and Seyn came walking from their room. Both of them were smiling, which, although surprised, Hask took as a good sign.

“Seyn, have you met Gid- Hask yet?” Iden prompted. 

“No, I haven’t.” Seyn responded, and didn’t stop long enough for Hask to say first. Before anyone knew what was happening, Seyn was spurting out his full name, birth date and birth place and even the names of his dead parents, all as if she were reading from a Wikipedia page.

”How do you know my-“ Hask’s eyes narrowed, especially at the mentioning of his parents, who he’d tried hard to forget. Not because they were bad, rather because he didn’t like dealing with their loss.

”Mr. Versio gave us a bit of information about each of you before we came here.” Del said. “I’ve already forgotten most of it, but-“

”I have an eidetic memory.” Seyn jumped in, in longest actual sentence Hask had heard from her. “I remember _everything_.”

Del hid his face with an arm at Hask’s expression. Poor man looked weirded out by this, as if Seyn was an alien rather than just an extremely intelligent fourteen-year-old. on the plane ride over Del himself had been a bit disgruntled by Seyn’s memory as well but the two of them had bonded much over their mutual love of the sciences.

”So we all know who not to go for telling our embarrassing stories.” Iden announced, putting a hand on Seyn’s shoulder like a proud parent. “Now that we all know each other, is everyone up for some food? I do have to be back up at the school by 1900 and I’m sure you want to see the city.”

”I’m always up for food.” Del answered, and Hask concurred. Seyn shrugged and they all piled into the only car that could fit all of them (Del’s) and left to find some dinner.


	2. Meeting

“Everything is so much nicer here than Coruscant.” Del said in amazement, looking out the window as he drove. “The traffic looks so much more manageable.”

”I’ve only been to Coruscant a few times, but from what I remember you’re absolutely right.” Hask said from the passengers seat. He was also the acting navigator, since Del obviously didn’t know his way around. “There’s a reason I learned to drive a motorcycle.”

”Coruscant’s so bad I didn’t try and learn to drive.” Seyn said, seated beside Iden in the backseat.

”You don’t know how to drive?” Iden asked in disbelief. “I know you aren’t sixteen yet, but aren’t there exceptions for kids like you?

Seyn shrugged. “I just never got around to it, I guess.”

”Not saying it as a bad thing.” Hask went on. “I don’t know if I remember how to even drive a real car since I’ve spent so much time on a bike.”

”I don’t think that’s how it works.” Del chimed in. 

“Eyes on the road, Meeko.” Hask playfully snapped. “And turn here.”

Iden was still stuck on the fact that Seyn couldn’t drive. When Iden had been her age, she’d jumped on the opportunity to learn to drive and gain that extra bit of independence. “I’m sure you’ll fit it in with the rest of your classes. Just find an online course or something.”

Seyn nodded. “That‘s the plan.”

They parked and got out of the car. Iden stretched her long legs that cramped from being shoved in behind Hask’s seat. 

“What made you two so special that the Admiral wanted you rooming with us anyway?” Hask asked as he sat in the seat across from Seyn and beside Iden.

”The Admiral?” Del asked in confusion. 

“Oh, sorry. That’s our name for my dad.” Iden clarified. “I’m not sure how it started, but it’s been around since Hask and I were pretty young.”

“How young?” Del asked the two and they exchanged glances.

”Middle school?” Iden said like a question. 

“Sounds right.” Hask nodded. “Before I took a gap year I was two years ahead of you, instead of one.” 

“I never had classmates until now.” Seyn piped up from Del’s left. “I flew through everything online at home.” 

“I wish I could have done that with a few of my classes.” Iden said. “Math is the only thing that’s been hard for me.” Hask smirked like he was about to make a joke but she stopped him. “Yes. I’m an Asian who’s bad at math. Sue me.”

”You can’t get sued for that.” Seyn pointed out, not getting the joke, and Del subconsciously tapped something out onto the table to explain for her that it was a joke.

”What d’you have to be back at the campus for?” He wondered next. “Another class or-“

”Orchestra, actually. We have rehearsal tonight.”

”Oh, what do you play?”

”I’m a percussionist.” Iden shrugged and explained. “I play a lot of things.”

”No way, so am I!”

While the two of them began talking about that, Hask awkwardly regarded Seyn. It was still unnerving, how she didn’t seem to blink as she looked around, reading everyone and everything and committing it to memory. 

If the girl noticed him staring, she didn’t say anything. Something told Hask that she was used to odd looks and they didn’t bother her.

”What is it you do for fun, then?” He asked her. “I mean, school must be easy and finish quickly for you if you’re able to memorize everything so easily.”

”I learn languages.” Seyn said. “So far, I’m fluent in one from every language family, and several more besides.”

”And I hardly passed high school Spanish.” Hask said admirably. “Good for you. Also, I’ve been wondering. How is it that you even discovered your memory was eidetic? Did someone point it out, or-“

“My parents had me tested for the gifted and talented program in grade school. I made a perfect score and that led them to realize my memory was the reason for it. So they took me out of school and let me do things on my own.”

”And you’re the only one in your family who has it?”

Seyn nodded. “My family got so jealous all of the time.”

Out of questions and unable to relate, Hask turned back to Iden and Del, who were still discussing music and percussion and a world he didn’t understand, either. 

“What do you think, Hask? Would they let Del in even if it’s been a semester?” Iden asked, and he shrugged. “As long as he auditioned, I doubt they’d mind.”

”We just did Mahler 1. Our director can be a bit ambitious.” Iden informed Del as she took a sip of her water. Their food would likely be ready soon. “Supposedly we’re in need of another timpanist for our next set of music. I don’t know what it is yet.”

”As long as it’s not Mussorgsky or Stravinsky I don’t think I’ll mind.” 

Iden opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by their number being called. Both Del and Hask stood in tandem to retrieve the food and had a bit of an awkward stand-off. Del relented first and sat back down beside Seyn.

Iden made sure to give Del a reassuring smile. Hask could be a bit... overbearing and a lot of a show off from time to time. She’d gotten used to it, but someone like Del might find that difficult. Clearly he was used to being the gentleman.

”Alright, everyone. Enjoy.” Hask said as he returned, carrying a tray of food in each hand. Everyone found their order pretty easily: Iden didn’t eat beef while Del avoided pork, Seyn was a pescatarian and Hask loved any and all meats.   
  
For the rest of the time out, the four roommates exchanged jokes and stories, while each independently wondered why they had been forced together. 

Not that any of them were complaining.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

For orchestra rehearsal that night, Iden took Del along with her to introduce him to the director, who was also the school’s music theory and speech professor. An odd combination, but he was well suited for all of them.

Del took a step inside the rehearsal area and heard the controlled chaos of instruments warming up. He listened a moment, and his nose crinkled in distaste. “I think I hear Romeo and Juliet.”

”What’s wrong with that?” Iden wondered, saying hello to the assistant director (or maybe he was a secretary, she didn’t really know) and signing for her folder. “Come on.”

”I played that... two years ago?” Del recalled. “Percussion part’s boring, for a Tchaikovsky piece. But I wouldn’t mind the timpani part.”

”Well, guess what.” Iden flipped her music around and showed the clearly marked “Timpani” in the corner. “You can’t have it.” 

Del feigned crossing his arms in a pout as he followed her to an office, where Lux Bonteri was inside trying to put together last minute preparations. He looked up when Iden appeared in the doorway. “Ah. Hello, Iden. Good to see you again.”

She said a similar greeting and gestured for Del to come forward. “My new roommate happens to be a transfer from Coruscant.”

”Coruscant?” Bonteri’s eyes widened a bit as he crossed the room. “Oh, I know the director there. We’re good friends. Well... until my orchestra took away his national title of thirteen years. But we don’t talk of that. What do you play, Mr...” Bonteri raised an eyebrow, asking for him to supply his name.

”Meeko. Del Meeko.”

”Meeko.” He said. 

“I’m a percussionist as well.” Del said, as he had told Iden. “Percussion and Timpani, though it looks like the latter is taken.”

”Well, I wanted to do Berlioz this year. He _does_ call for more than one Timpani. As for everything else... what’s another percussionist for the mix?” Bonteri turned to Iden. “Go start in there. I’ll see what Del can do and then join you in a few minutes.”

“Sure.” Iden knew that was code for “I already know what I’m going to do, now I just need to determine who to move around to make it happen. It would be nice to have another percussionist, especially one who could cover a timpani part. Her arms still got sore just thinking of having to cover both parts in the Mahler last year.

“Berlioz, huh?” Del asked when Iden had left. “What were you considering? Symphonie Fantastique? La retour à la vie?”

Bonteri gave an approving nod at Del’s prononciation of the French titles. “Symphonie Fantastique. Where’d you learn to say it properly like that? Do you speak French?”

”Oui, je suis baguette.” Del responded, demonstrating the extent of his mastery of the French language. 

Bonteri gave a look that was half amused, half disappointed. ”Just for that, I’m dooming you to the cymbal part. Unless you can pry the timpani from Iden’s hands. Though I don’t see that happening.”

”You aren’t going to audition me?” Del wondered.

”You played with the orchestra at Coruscant. That makes you more qualified than most of the people here.”  
_  
Hask was wrong, then. This Bonteri doesn’t seem all that bad._ Shortly before Iden and Del had left, Hask had warned Del about him based on when he’d taken his speech class last year. He’d have to confront him about it later. 

“All due respect to Tchaikovsky and all, but I can brush my teeth to this.” Del told Iden and suppressed a yawn that wasn’t all fake. “Nineteen minutes long, and I play for ninety seconds of it.”

”Hey, at least we can get paid for this.” Iden shrugged. “And you get to have your timpani 2 part for the Berlioz.” 

Del flipped through his music, mildly offended. “I’m tacet for three movements!” 

“Two and 7/8ths, more like.” Iden corrected. “Maybe you can go talk to Nero or something while you’re waiting. He’s got some great stories to tell.”

“Maybe I will.” Del shrugged. He may have been acting annoyed, but he was secretly excited. One of his worst fears about transferring schools was that he’d not be able to do music anymore. Now, here he was able to play one of his favorite symphonies of all time. 

What could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I made them percussionists b/c their voice actors are both percussionists and you can fite me.
> 
> Side note you guys should all go listen to Symphonie Fantastique here’s a link:
> 
> https://youtu.be/rQXtC6B3CKQ
> 
> Del’s comment about toothbrushing to the Tchaik isn’t too far from the truth tho. It is pretty boring RIP
> 
> ok bye.


	3. Brothers

Not used to sharing a room with anyone, Hask woke up when the bunk shook. Del was doing his best to move softly and quietly but it didn’t matter.

Hask groaned and sat up right as Del disappeared into the bathroom. There was a sound of water running and then, much to Hask’s amusement, off-key whistling to something that sounded suspiciously like “Copacabana.”

He glanced to his watch and his eyes widened.

It was four thirty in the morning.

”What the crap, Del?” Hask asked as he fell back onto the pillow. The man had said he was an early riser, but this was ridiculous. Classes didn’t start until 9. 

He was still glowering when Del came out of the bathroom, toweling off his hair. Once again, Hask found himself looking at his watch. Del’s entire time in the bathroom shower and all, had taken less than five minutes.

“And where are you heading off to?” Hask asked when Del tried to get through the door. 

“Sorry. Did I wake you?”

”And maybe the entire apartment!” Hask sat up and felt his back pop. “Who else showers at four thirty in the morning?”

Del looked perplexed for a moment, as if it hadn’t struck him as unusual. “I’ve always done that.”

Hask grabbed around and located a shirt in the dark. “What are you, a military man?” 

He’d meant it as a joke, but when he turned on the light found that Del had gone still. Deadly serious, he turned to Hask. “I did two tours in Iraq before coming to school. Routine’s been like this ever since.”

 _Two tours?_ Hask thought. _The guy hardly even looks old enough to be shipped out in the first place._

If Del was a military man, there was a good chance Hask could guess his routine next. ”Were you headed to the gym?” 

Del shrugged. “Yeah.”

”Gimme a moment, I’m coming with you.”

If Del was surprised by this, he didn’t comment. He’d judged before that Hask was athletic, maybe not incredibly so, but was at least in shape.   
  
“Usually I wouldn’t be up until 6. That’s when Iden and I go out for a jog. But it’d be nice to start something new.” Hask said as he pulled on sweat pants and a t-shirt. Quietly, the two men snuck out of their room and the apartment, stopping only to fill up their water bottles.

”So, Iraq?” Hask asked as they walked. “You don’t look that old.” The sun wasn’t up yet, so he couldn’t see Del’s face clearly. 

”Yeah, me and both my brothers. Cade is still deployed, at the moment. We shipped out on the same day at high school graduation.” Del said as they walked. “As for my age? I’m a few months away from twenty-eight.”

Hask gave an impressed whistle. “And you decided to come back?”

”I wanted an education that didn’t involve exploding bombs and people screaming.” 

“I’m enlisting as soon as I‘m out of university.” Hask said, giving Del a sidelong glance. “Any advice?”

”Don’t.” Del said immediately.

For a few moments, Hask remained stunned silent on the pavement while Del strode ahead. They were almost to the campus gym. 

Hask didn’t know how to feel about this. Everyone else he’d talked to seemed to think going into service was a great idea for him and highly encouraged it. The Admiral, a Navy veteran, was able to give him recommendations and such, and the military was even paying for his college.

 _I suppose Del has only recently come back to the real world. That could be part of it,_ Hask thought, hurrying to catch Del at the door.

Del had mentioned one of his brothers was still deployed. He didn’t want to think of what may have happened to the other.

”What was your specialty, if you don’t mind me asking?” Hask asked as they began to stretch out.

”Oh, you know. Started out as your average cannon fodder. Ended as chief engineer.” Del explained jokingly, or was it bitterly. “Still saw plenty of terrible things.”

”I can only try to imagine.” Hask said. “My parents had traveled to the states and were killed in 9/11. I vowed to avenge them.”

“Couple years late, buddy.” Del pointed out, standing up and popping his back.Realizing that Hask did not appreciate that sentiment, he changed the subject by pointing to a pair of benches that were free. “Need a spotter?”He asked, smirking.

”Oh, you’re on, Meeko.“

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Being a light sleeper, Iden was well aware of when Hask and Del left. She didn’t fully wake up until her alarm went off at six, though.

”Did you hear something?” Asked Seyn. The boys’ room had one bunk bed while Iden and Seyn’s was divided into two twin beds on either side of the room, so her voice was coming from near the window.

”It was just the boys.” Iden shrugged it off, wiping sleep from her eyes.

”You’re already calling them that?” Seyn asked, sitting up in bed. ”We’ve only known them for a day.”

”You have, anyway.” Iden pointed out. “I’ve known Hask since grade school.”

”I’m sure that was fun.” 

“Not always.” Iden smirked. “But most of it was.”

Without another word, Seyn gathered her things and went into the bathroom. Iden was left in near total darkness, wondering if Hask had found a new training partner in Del. Sure; they ran every morning, but Hask only did it to be with her. That much was obvious.

They had dated. One single time, when Iden was in eighth grade and that seemed to make Hask think she was interested. She wasn’t. He was too much of a brother figure to her. 

She gave up waiting on Seyn and changed in the bedroom. No use being secret about it if Hask and Del were away. Having been in plenty of locker rooms throughout her life, changing in front of other girls didn’t phase her one bit.   
  
“Hey, Seyn?” She called, knocking on the bathroom door. “I’m going on a run, okay?” 

The younger girl called back that it was fine and she’d see her in class. Again, it was weird to think that a fourteen year old would be sitting next to her in university but at least Seyn looked like she belonged here (and acted like it more than some of the students).

Before she put in her earbuds and began running, Iden saw that she had a message from her mother asking Iden to call her. Now, Iden loved her mother. Somehow, she’d gotten stuck with her father after their divorce but Zeehay Versio always made a point to call her daughter once a week (not at this time, which confused Iden) and also traveled for Iden’s sports events and orchestra concerts and anything else. Iden wasn’t even sure if her father had even been at her graduation.

Iden called her mother back, knowing that she was a few hours ahead of their time. “Hi mom,“ she said in Hindi. 

”Iden.” Zeehay said, and Iden was alarmed to hear something that sounded like sadness in her mother’s voice. “I’m sorry this isn’t our normal time, but- your father wasn’t answering his phone.”

”Yeah? Why’d you call him?” Her parents tolerated each other most of the time, but usually only talked about matters concerning Iden. That had declined once she’d turned 18.”Everything alright?”

A pause. “No. No, it isn’t.” 

Iden slowed her pace. “Mom? What’s the matter?”

”I have cancer.” 

The words stopped Iden in her tracks. Zeehay Versio, Iden’s rock, the woman who loved her more than life itself and painted her into her artwork had cancer. 

“I’m coming up to see you.” Iden said, already turning to head back to the apartment. 

“No, Iden. It’s okay.”

”No, it’s not, mom! You could be dying!”

”The doctors say that it’s curable if they work fast enough. I may have to do radiation but...“ Zeehay sighed. “You don’t need to do anything. Just... tell your father I need to talk to him. He should know in case anything happens. It won’t, but-“

”Alright, mom. I will.” 

“I love you, Iden.”

”Love you too, mom.” Despite her mother brushing off an attempt to meet her, Iden still began planning a visit in her mind. She didn’t have any classes on Wednesday afternoon, so she’d drive up then. Still reeling with worry and shock, Iden sent her father a quick but respectful text (partly because she knew he was so old fashioned and would never deign to look at it) and called that good enough. 

Talking with her mother had caused a delay in her run, and on the way back to the apartment she ran past Hask and Del who were returning from working out. They were laughing, a good sign. 

“Iden!” Hask greeted. The blonde haired man slung an arm around his companion. “I think your father may have found me a new best friend. You should have seen him- he’s a machine!”

”Please. Hask is over exaggerating .” 

“No. Look.” Hask poked Del in the arm. “This twig? Somehow all muscle. What did you lift this morning?”

“Four hundred.” Del was blushing a bit at the attention and Iden found it to be cute.

”Four _hundred_!” Hask repeated, loudly. “I’m jealous, Del. What’s your secret?”

Iden tuned out at that point. Men tended to get obsessed over the weirdest things. Sure, Del may be able to lift a lot but Iden doubted he could run like Hask did. And vice versa. She hurried up the steps and to the bathroom, opting for a cold shower to save time. Breakfast was an apple that she’d save for after her first lecture and she double checked to make sure everything was in her bag before heading out the door. Hask and Del were arm-wrestling at the kitchen table when she walked by. 

By the shout of fury a few moments later, she surmised that Del had won. Iden couldn’t stop the grin that came across her face as she shook her head and hurried on her way, sliding into a desk of her first class just as the clock hit 08:30. 


	4. Infiltration

“Everything alright, Iden? You seem a bit on edge today.” 

Startled from her thoughts, Iden looked up as Mr. Bonteri gave her a gentle smile. The rest of the class wasn’t paying attention, most had earbuds in as they worked on independent work. Iden was at her normal place in the back on the piano, having tested out of music theory in the first week. She stayed in the class because she liked the review, and it gave her more chances to play music that she loved. 

“I talked to my mother this morning.” Iden flipped a page of Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto no 3 (it had become a project that she and Mr. Bonteri were working to finish it, both with their own work as well as Iden’s mother’s cadenzas).

”I see.” Lux knew a lot of Iden’s life considering she didn’t open up to a lot of people. In fact, in the year that she’d known him he’d proved to be more of a father than the man who had sired her. “What did she have to say?”

”She’s sick.” Iden said, absently, running her hands lightly over the piano keys so that it hardly made any noise. 

“Well, it is flu season. I’m sure she’ll recover in a few weeks.”

Iden slammed her hands down on a two-octave e-flat major chord. “It’s cancer.”

That caught Lux off guard, and not just because one of the notes was wrong. “Oh, Iden. I’m so sorry.”

”I’m sure she’ll recover.”

”You should take some time off to be with her. If I could go back in time around when my mother passed, that’s what I would have changed.”

”I know, I’m visiting her on Wednesday. I just... I’m a bit mad, you know? If anyone deserves to have cancer it’s my dad, not her.” Iden didn’t look at him, and Lux took it as a sign that she didn’t want to talk. No matter. He had exams from several classes to grade, and music to sort out. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like. I know you’ve been practicing hard for the competition in a few months.”

”I wish winning a competition could save my mother.” Iden grumbled. A few of her classmates gave her looks, some a bit jealous of what seemed to be virtuosity. No- it was actually just years of hard work and being forced into playing. Growing up under her father’s roof there had been no video games, no TV, just work. School work, sports, and music. All the time. 

She did end up staying a bit after class, if only to discuss part of the music with him before leaving to go home. In her mind, she was trying to plan out how seeing her mother would go. She’d probably show up with some snacks and then they’d sit on the couch and yell at Bollywood dramas all day (Iden would never admit it to anyone but she definitely was a sucker for those) while trying not to think about how things would change.

She didn’t even realize that she had walked all the way back to the apartment while contemplating all of this. Hask’s bike was gone, which meant he was out, but as far as she could tell everyone else was home. 

When she opened the door, Del looked up from the kitchen table and greeted her with a smile that she didn’t return. “Bad day?”

 _Please. I’ve known you for forty-eight hours and you think I’m about to tell you?_ But Iden’s mind had other ideas. “Yeah.”

”Did you have an exam? Or...” 

“Family stuff.” Iden said. “That’s all.”

”Ah.” Del moved his stack of textbooks when Iden pulled out a chair and joined him. Up close, she could see his face a bit better, including that he had a faint scar over his right eye. “No offense, but I didn’t like your father all that much.”

”He has that effect on people.” Iden said, shrugging. “He’s always been a jerk.”

“My father was strict, but not unreasonably so. He just wanted to make sure his sons grew up to be successful. Hopefully I didn’t disappoint him too much.”   
  
“Del, I have a hard time believing you disappoint anyone.” Iden said, “you’re good at everything you do.”

”Not everything.” Del cracked a smile. “I wasn’t a very good soldier.”

”Well, you were brave enough to become one in the first place. That’s something.”

“I didn’t even volunteer.” Del said. “My brother was drafted, and I didn’t want him to be alone.”

”Still. You did two tours. Could’ve stopped at one.” 

“You’re right. One tour gave me PTSD enough.”

Sensing the change in topic, Iden went back to her own work. Economics. She hated economics. Who cared how inflation affected the world or how expensive it was to raise a child? 

Suddenly, though, Del was talking again. “You don’t know what it’s like to see your face on a dead man. That’s why I came back. It wasn’t because I was scared, but because fighting no longer made any sense to me after my brother died. In my arms, no less.”

”Del, I... I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say.” 

“It’s fine. I made choices. Now I hope to be better.” Officially done sharing, Del went back to his work. The theory of rigid bodies was suddenly much more interesting. 

Iden wondered if Del had told Hask any stories like that yet, tried to discourage him from joining the military as well. But Hask was stubborn. His mind wouldn’t change because of something like that, especially when he had the likes of Admiral Versio to impress. 

Speaking of which... Iden wondered if her parents had talked to each other yet. She highly doubted it. 

Del and Iden both jumped when Hask came in through the door, seeming very excited about something. “Guys- I’ve got it!” 

“Got what?” Iden wondered.

”So I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why we could’ve been put together as roomates. Because, I mean, come on- the Admiral’s daughter? Her best friend? A prodigy and a military veteran?” Hask pointed to each of them in turn, gesturing towards Seyn’s room since she wasn’t actually present.”What do we all have in common?”

”Well, we all... we all graduated top of our classes?” Iden asked. 

“No, no! I get it!” Del interrupted standing up and putting an arm around Hask. “We’re all- wait for it- we’re all college students. I know, wow! Who’d of guessed that college students get roommates?”

”Oh, sod it, Meeko!” Hask shoved a grinning Del back. “The Admiral put us together because of what happened at Coruscant. He knows that the four of us can keep an eye on it happening again. Look. He even made sure we each have someone who’s being investigated.” Hask pulled out a piece of paper on which he had made a rough schedule of their day. “See?”

Del grabbed for it, tried to make sense of Hask’s chicken scratch writing. “Wait. Why’s Bonteri on this list?”

Now Iden stood. “What? Give me that! Sure enough, she had been ‘assigned’ to that particular professor.

“I didn’t see anything wrong with him.” Del added.

”I told the Admiral about him.” Hask seemed almost proud about this, and Iden was horrified. “He was saying all of those things that really set me off.”

”Hask, he was going through a hard time! Remember?”  
  
“No. I really don’t.” Hask was a little pissed by the fact she’d not called him Gideon. Good. Let him be a bit mad.

”It was a nasty divorce. Divorces are hard!” Iden continued. 

“And how would you-“

”Oh-kay. Guys, stop. You’re scaring the children.” Del pulled them apart, turned to face Hask and leaned in ever so slightly. “Watch it, man.” 

Hask unclenched his fists and stepped away. “Well. Whether you like it or not- I’m right!” He cried, and stormed off to his room. A door slammed.

That left Del and Iden, who was still very upset. “I can’t believe he just- ugh! And I don’t need that, Del!”

”Need what?” He asked, tilting his head. 

“That!” She exclaimed. “I don’t need you trying to protect me, especially from Hask. He would never hurt me. He gets mad sometimes, but I know he would never hurt me.”

”Sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep. I forget sometimes.” 

“Besides. It’s not a good look for you.” Iden gave a small smile.

”What’s not?”

”You’re a big teddy bear, Meeko. Stop trying to be big Macho man.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” He said, matching her small smile. “But... what has him so worked up about Bonteri? That man couldn’t hurt a fly.”

”I know.” Iden said. “Like I said, nasty divorce. It wasn’t like my parents deciding that living together wasn’t working anymore. It was bad. His wife accused him of cheating, even though everybody knows she’s the one who’s been unfaithful to him. Unfortunately, she’s a bigwig involved with my father’s business and everyone took her side. She took everything away from him. I remember how upset their daughter was having to leave him. I talk to her occasionally, but her mother really messed her up.”

“That sounds... terrible.” Del said, “I didn’t think drama could ever get _that_ bad.”

”It’s part of the reason I want to become a lawyer. Half those hearings and court cases were rigged. I want to help change that one day.”

”Sounds like a good plan.” Del said. “Now, who am I supposedly looking out for?”

Iden handed him the list and watched as Del’s face fell. “Oh...”

”Who is it?”

”Engineering. Piikow. I don’t know if the poor guy can take any drama like what you’re describing. He’s old and doesn’t have much time left from what I can tell. And he, also, seems really nice.” Del shook his head. “I’m sorry, Iden. But I really don’t like this.”

That description made Iden think of her mother. ”Me neither. But we’re going to have to act like we do, and keep Hask in check.” Iden sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. “Does Seyn have an assignment?”

”She’s all over the place.” Del read, a frown on his face. The idea of small, innocent Seyn doing anything like this made them both feel bad. If this was really her father’s plan...

”Hask will watch Staven like a hawk. Honestly, he’s the only bad person on here. And maybe Azen. Remember him?”

”Oh, yeah. The guy who tried to-“

”Yeah. Him.” Iden interrupted.

”Yes. He can go.” Del said with a bit of an eye roll. “I’ll kill him myself.” 

“I’ll help you.” Iden agreed. “The man needs to go.” Her eyes went back to the list in Del’s hands. “I don’t think Hask should get this back.”

”Me neither.” Del took a quick picture with his phone, folded up the paper and held it between two fingers. “Should I eat it?”

Despite the situation, Iden laughed a bit. “I don’t think that’s healthy. We can just burn it. She stood up from the table and retrieved a box of matches from a drawer and turned back to Del. At that moment, they heard Hask’s steps coming back and Del promtly put the folded paper into his mouth. Iden’s eyes widened.

“Where’s the list? I left it with you two. I need to show Seyn.” His narrowed eyes settled on the matches and his nostrils flared. Clenching his fists, he gave an exclamation of disgust and turned back for his cave. 

Having never swallowed, Del spat the paper back from having been under his tongue. “Ink’s all gone now.” He said, looking at the ruined paper and gagging a bit at the taste of said ink. Unceremoniously, he dropped the folded piece down the sink and washed out his mouth, then got rid of the taste with some of Hask’s soda.

”Don’t worry. I’ve had to do worse.” He told Iden.

”Oh... I’m sure.” Iden said. 

“There was this one time-“

”Del.” Iden stopped him. “I don’t want to hear it.”

He had the nerve to grin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I made it seem like Del was a clone but it’s really supposed to be a stormtrooper, the way all their helmets look the same? Del was seeing his brother’s face and that’s why he called it the same.


	5. Zeehay

The tension caused by Hask’s outburst didn’t last long. It couldn’t, in such close quarters.

At dinnertime, the four of them sat and enjoyed (or at least pretended to enjoy) Iden’s cooking while Del and Hask traded joke after joke. Seyn jumped in with a new project of hers, and Iden decided to tell them what was going on with her mother.

”I’ve decided to take a few days. Go spend some time with her.”

”Of course.” Hask said around a mouthful of food. “We all understand.”

”Everything will be alright while I’m gone?” She asked, a question loaded and aimed at Hask. 

“You don’t need to worry, Iden. We can take care of ourselves.” Del said.

”I’ll keep them in check.” Seyn promised, causing both men to playfully glare at her. Now, the sister and maternal side of Iden did feel a bit bad about leaving Seyn alone with them... maybe she’d offer to let her come with?

”I have an exam coming up that’s taking up most of my time.” Del said. “I regret quantum physics.” 

“Speak for yourself, man. Cardio and weight training is out to get me.” Hask countered. 

“Aw, is somebody a weakling?” Iden fake pouted.

”No, but I don’t see how it’s possible for me to run a sub 5 minute mile.” Hask said defensively, leaning back in his chair.

”Just sprint.” Seyn said, and shrugged innocently when they all looked at her. 

“I’d like to see you try.” Hask told the girl. 

”I once ran a 4:33.” She countered. “Told you. Sprint.”

”Well, we don’t all weigh a hundred pounds sopping wet, now do we?” 

Iden watched Seyn shrink away a bit. Glaring at Hask, she turned to the youngest one at the table. “Why did you run, Seyn? Were you cross country, or-“

”I had a crazy soccer coach. Wanted us all to run sub fives or we were off the team.” 

“Oh. Well, there’s your motivation, Hask.” Del said. “Get the mile or you’re sleeping outside.”

”I’ll make sure the tent is big enough for both of us, then.” 

“A challenge!” Del cackled. “I’ll do it with an extra forty pound pack on my back. Just like old times. Uphill. Both ways.”

”Okay. Okay. Enough.” Iden stopped their banter. “There is entirely too much testosterone around this table. Both of you, back to your corners.” 

Hask growled while Del wiggled his eyebrows a bit. The two of them went straight back to arguing after the girls left the table.

”Seyn.” Iden asked her friend when they were climbing into bed that night. “Are you going to be alright staying here with them?”

”Of course. I’m not scared of them, but- I don’t know.” Seyn stuttered a bit. “I-I never had brothers. Or a boyfriend. Or men in general.”

”Why don’t you come with me, then? I don’t want you to be nervous.”

”I can’t miss-“

”Just for one day.”

”But, Iden. This is for you to see your mother, right?” Iden could her a slight change in Seyn’s voice. 

”Trust me. She won’t mind, and I know that you must be missing your parents terribly. I can’t drive you cross country, but I can drive across town.”

Seyn didn’t say anything.

”I’ll let you drive when we’re outside city limits.”

A pause. “Isn’t that illegal?”

Iden smirked at the ceiling. “Only if we get caught.”

”Okay.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

They left after Iden’s early calc class and even stopped for breakfast. 

“So.” Iden said, driving with the window down. “Something tells me you do not get out much.” 

Seyn didn’t even look at her to respond. “No- I don’t.” She leaned a bit farther out the passenger-side window and Iden resisted the urge to pull her back in. 

”I didn’t know cows looked like that!” Seyn exclaimed, and Iden craned her neck. “Like what?”

”That.” Seyn pointed to a herd of black and white spotted bovines. “I thought they were just like that for the chic-fil-a commercials.”

”Nope.” Iden popped the word and had to smile at Seyn’s apparent fascination with the wildlife. It was almost like she was just taking her little sister on a road trip, and they _had_ been mistaken for siblings earlier at breakfast.

”How did you and Hask meet?” Seyn asked suddenly. 

“We, uh- my father knew his guardian. Set us up as friends. Never actually had classes together until senior year of high school.”

”He likes you.” Seyn announced. 

”Oh?” Iden cocked an eyebrow and listened to Seyn’s reasoning.

“You can tell by the way he looks at you.” Seyn continued. “I know faces.”

”Oh yeah?”

”He always makes sure to be unnecessarily close to you. His pupils dilate when he talks to you and he moves his eyebrows- a lot. And his mouth. Purses his lips. A lot.”

”Well, even if he does like me, I don’t reciprocate it.” Iden said.

”You’d better tell him that.”

”Oh, I have.” Iden assured her. “Doesn’t matter.”

”It should.”

Seyn was right, of course. But as long as Hask never tried anything, Iden didn’t see any reason to change things from what they were now. The arrival of new roommates helped change the dynamic a bit, anyway. Things would be fine.

“We even tried to date once.” She said, a bit unnecessarily. “Didn’t work out.”

”He told Del that you two were together.”

”He what?” Iden whirled. “When?”

”The first day we arrived. Del saw how you two interacted and asked if you were involved. Hask said you were.”

”Well, we aren’t. I don’t know why he said that.” Iden bit her lip, not sure what to feel, wanting desperately to change the subject. Mercifully, she saw the city limit sign outside the window. 

”Now before I switch spots with you, you do actually know how to drive, right?”

”I finished the online portion in one sitting yesterday after you said we’d be going.” Seyn said, unbuckling her seatbelt when Iden stopped the car. 

”Okay, good. Maybe just don’t go the full seventy miles per hour yet.”

”Yes, ma’am.” Subconsciously, Iden realized that both Seyn and Del had called her “ma’am” ever since they’d met. What was that supposed to mean? 

“Easy, Seyn!” Iden warned when the car jumped unsteadily. “Don’t be so tense.”

”I’m not tense.” The girl countered, gripping the steering wheel so hard her knuckles were white.

”You know what? Maybe Del should be the one teaching you to drive.” Iden said, nervously. “He seems better at this wort of thing.”

”No, no, it’s okay! I got this.” Seyn was grinning, almost maniacally as she relaxed a bit and put her foot down on the accelerator. 

For once, Iden actually strapped in her seatbelt. And she was glad she had, because Seyn’s turns were rough and stops were almost illegal. By the time they arrived at Iden’s mother’s house, more or less in one piece, their hair was crazy and they were laughing wildly. 

“Okay, so, rough first time.” Iden said as they stood up. “That’s fine. We’ll get it.” 

“It’s a good thing we’re out here, in the middle of nowhere.” Seyn commented as she stood and stretched her legs. “No cops.”

”My mom liked the country. Gave her inspiration for her artwork.” 

“You know, if I’m going to be in the way... I brought stuff to do.”

”Trust me. My mom will love you. I’m just going to warn you. She can be a bit...”

”Weird? Crazy?”

”Indian.” Iden finished, knocking on the door.   
  
When she opened the door, Zeehay Versio certainly didn’t look sick, as she ushered Iden and Seyn in and was immediately on top of Seyn like a mother hen.

“Iden, you show up at my doorstep and bring a guest and don’t tell me? Look at the poor girl- she needs some food!” Zeehay clucked in Hindi, scowling at her daughter before smiling at Seyn.

”Yeah, yeah, mom. And at next meal you’ll be telling me I’m fat. This is Seyn. She’s my new roommate.”

”Oh, I like her already!” Zeehay said. “Much more than that Gideon boy-“

”Mom, not now.”

”Hello, Ms. Versio.” Seyn said with a smile. 

”How about I do some cooking and you two can get introduced.” Iden offered, knowing this would set off her mother’s hospitality meter. “You look tired, mom.” Iden said quietly, in Zeehay’s ear and she finally relented.

”Just don’t burn anything this time.”

It wasn’t that Iden was a bad cook, but she wasn’t a good one either. Things just tended to… burn.

As predicted, they watched Bollywood films for most of the afternoon while Seyn and her mother chatted. Zeehay offered captions, but Seyn surprised them by beginning a conversation in perfect accented Hindi.

Iden and Zeehay both turned to her in shock. Despite looking like she could be related to Iden,she had said her family was from Spain.

“I speak twenty-nine languages.” She said casually to their shocked faces. “And can read and write seven more.” 

“I can see why Garrick wanted her.” Zeehay murmured. It was always a bit odd to hear her father’s first name used, but Iden overcame the feeling and continued enjoying the time with her mother. 

The trio ate half of the spaghetti Iden didn’t burn, along with too much ice cream. Soon, Seyn was drifting off due to a sugar crash and Zeehay and Iden were alone. Her mother had convinced them to stay the night and Iden easily carried Seyn’s small form to her own bedroom, which stayed untouched from the limited visitation weekends she was allowed with her mother.

“Iden.” Said her mother when she came back to the couch. She took both of Iden’s hands and leaned on her. Iden pulled her knees up to match her mother’s and practically held her like a baby. She was alarmed to feel clammy, feverish skin and could finally see the cancer taking its toll. “Iden,” Zeehay repeated, slipping into Hindi and changing the “I” to a long “E” sound. 

“My _jaan_.” She continued, reaching a hand to Iden’s cheek. “You’ve grown so much. Look at you, you used to be so small.” Zeehay pointed to one of the pictures on her wall. Iden couldn’t tell if it was painted or a photograph, but it was definitely her. “Now look at you. I’m so glad I got to see you grow up to be such a beautiful young woman.”

“Don’t talk like that, mom. You’re going to live to see even more.”

“Grandchildren?” Zeehay tried, and Iden scoffed.

“Most likely not. Dad won’t be too pissed, I hope, seeing as though the family line was already ruined with me being a girl.”

Zeehay heaved a sigh. “Mom, I didn’t mean it.” Iden said immediately. “Not like that. I’m sorry.”

“I lost so many children before I had you. You were everything to me, Iden.” 

“Why are you saying, “were”?” Iden wondered, and her mother looked at her with matching brown eyes. “Did I do something, mom?”

“It’s not what you have done, it’s what you will do.” Zeehay said. “This…plot that your father has planned…”

“I don’t like it mom. I won’t do it.”

“It needs to be done, Iden. If you don’t do it- you’ve betrayed your father. You’ve betrayed _me_.”

“I can’t, mother!” Iden exclaimed. “Why can’t you see that dad is- he’s evil! You’ve divorced, for crying out loud! He’s treated you and I like- like nothing.”

“Garrick is not a bad man. He loves you, Iden, in his own special way. But you need to respect him. For me. Please try to listen to him.”

“Mom, I can’t.” 

“Iden, listen to me.” Zeehay said firmly. “Soon, I will be gone. And I want to leave knowing that you and your father have a good relationship. Otherwise, I’ll feel as if I abandoned you.” 

“No, mom. Never.” Iden said, stopping a stubborn tear from falling. 

Zeehay kissed Iden’s forehead and held her. Deep down, Iden wondered if this was the last time she would see her mother like this. 

“I came to visit because I love you, mom. And I don’t like hearing you say you’re going to die. This cancer, you’re going to beat it, okay?”

Her mother smiled, combed theough Iden’s hair. “I love you too, Iden. Always have, always will.” 

Iden fell asleep.

  
  
  
  
  



	6. Brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to do it to em. Kinda a spoof but hey I’m sick so they get to be sick too.

“Iden?” Hask asked through the phone. His call had woken her up. Groggily, she answered,”yeah?”

”Are you guys headed back?” 

“Not yet.” Iden said, confused. “Why?”

“Well, uh-“ There was a noise in the background, and Iden could make out Del shouting Hask’s name. “If you can stand it, you two may want to stay away.”

”Why’s that?”

”Del woke up in the middle of the night with the flu.” Hask said, and the noise in the background became violent coughing and gagging. “And I think I’ve come down with it as well. We’ve tried cleaning the place, but who knows how long it’ll be.”

“I’ll uh, see what Seyn wants to do. Do you need anything?”

”Aren’t you like, two hours away?”

”I don’t mind driving.” She said.

”I’ll let you know.” Hask decided. “Keep an eye out for a text.”

”Alright, Gideon.” Iden turned around to see that her mother was also blinking sleep from her eyes. “My mother says ‘hi’.”   
  
Zeehay glared even as Hask scoffed. “I’m sure she does. Bye, Iden.”

”Bye.”

“What was he doing now.” Her mother demanded. “Stalking you?”

”No.” Iden said, pacing the room. “The boys are both sick. Which means I’ve probably got it too, since it’s only been a day. I’d better wash my hands.”

If her mother was worried, she didn’t say it. As far as Iden knew, her treatments hadn’t begun so she was not yet immunocompromised. ”Are you staying here, or-“

”I think we need to get back for classes. If needed, Seyn and I will just stay in a hotel or something for a few nights.”

”Do what?” Seyn asked, walking into the room. Iden had once again forgotten that Seyn understood Hindi and cursed under her breath. “Del and Gideon are sick. I don’t know if we should go back.”

Seyn shrugged. “Either way, I have my laptop with me so I can do work here.” 

Iden looked between Seyn and her mother several times. On one hand, she didn’t want Seyn to get sick. On the other hand, she didn’t want her mother to get sick. Iden never seemed to get sick, though she did seem to carry illness to the next person in the room. Chances were, if she had been around Del the past couple of days, she was carrying around the flu. 

“I’ve had my flu shot already.” Zeehay said. “You two are welcome to stay.”

Iden was about to respond but her phone dinged. Hask had sent a list, just soups and water and basic toiletries. 

That settled it. 

“I think we should be getting back, mom. You know how boys are when they get sick.”

”Helpless?” Zeehay asked and Seyn giggled.

”Well, Gideon certainly acts that way. Del’s a military man, I’m sure he’s taking this like a champ....”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Oh come on, you big baby. Sit up.” Hask nudged Del with a foot and the older man grunted, but eventually obeyed, freeing up the spot next to him. Hask handed him a mug of soup and sipped from his own. “You gave me the flu, least you can do is give me a seat as well.” 

”I’m too big for this couch.” Del frowned. 

“That makes two of us.” Hask agreed, sniffling heavily. “But Iden loves it. Now drink the soup, or I’ll shove it down your throat. I’m not going to have you get dehydrated on me.”

”You’re worse than my mother.” Del rolled his eyes. 

“Oh yeah?” Hask smirked. “I’m about to be a lot worse if you don’t shut up and drink your freaking soup!”

Staring him right in the eyes, Del took a sip of soup. Ten seconds later he was gagging into the bowl that Hask had given him just for that purpose.

”What’s my fever at?” He asked when he was finished. Not to admit that he was a bit concerned, Hask went and retrieved the thermometer, while texting Iden that they may need even more soup and water if Del continued going through it at this rate.

”Eugh. One hundred-four.” Hask frowned at the reading. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Well, the last time my fever was that high it was because I had a staph infection that almost took my eye and killed me.”

”Is that the scar?” Hask asked, and Del nodded. “Sorry.”

”Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

Hask was about to say something else when his phone chirped. “Ah. Hold tight, buddy. Care package inbound.”

”Cut the military lingo, Hask. It doesn’t suit you.”

Hask was too busy googling to be offended. “According to the internet I should be getting you to a hospital.”

”Please, don’t. I’d rather wallow in misery here. At least here I have my couch and a TV with football, and my trusty throw up bucket.”

”We are throwing that thing out as soon as this is over. What could’ve even got you, anyway?”

”I’ve always been bad about getting the flu.” Del shrugged. “Knew I was coming down with it since my head started hurting a few days ago. That’s why I stayed home from class and didn’t talk to you.”

”You did talk to Iden, though.” Hask said pointedly.

”Oh. Right.” Del went pale and gripped the bucket, and not totally because he needed to upchuck again. “Is she sick?”

”I don’t think Iden’s _ever_ gotten sick.” Hask said. “Must be nice.” 

”Yeah.” Del agreed. “Hey- what happened to football?” He cried when Hask changed the channel.

”This is football.” Hask said with a confused look on his face. 

“Oh. I meant soccer. Always forget that.” 

”You’re kidding. You watch that crap?”Hask’s lip curled in distaste. 

“It’s a good sport!”

”Full of weak man children who cry if someone pokes them.” Hask feigned getting slapped in the shoulder and then grabbed his knee in fake pain. “Ah! My leg!” 

“That’s what makes it good!”

“There’s gotta be something we both like on here.” Hask slapped Del’s hand away from the remote. “Don’t touch that. You’re too sick.”

Del pouted a few moments and didn’t say anything until Hask found reruns of Criminal Minds to keep them entertained. 

Before either of them knew it, they were asleep. Hask woke up only when his phone rang. 

It was across the room on the table. He stretched for it but couldn’t reach and realized it was because Del had flopped over onto his side in his sleep and pinned him to the couch. 

“I’m outside.” Iden said when Hask answered on the last ring. “Should I come inside? Or-“

”Yeah, one sec. Del, wake up.” Hask prodded the older man and waited for a response. Nothing happened. “Hey, Del?” 

“What’s wrong?” Iden asked. 

“Uh, Del’s not waking up. Hold on a second.” Roughly, Hask pulled himself out from under Del’s body and slapped him across the face.   
  
“Not waking up? Didn’t you say he had a high fever?”

”Yeah. One-hundred four.”

”High fever is a sign of hyperpyrexia. It leads to unconsciousness, seizures, coma and...death.” Seyn wasn’t chirping by the end of that sentence.

”Why didn’t you take him to the doctor’s as soon as you knew it was high?!” Iden exclaimed. ”Hask, I’m about to break down this door!”

”Because I have a fever too! I wasn’t about to go driving across town when I can hardly see straight!”

”Seyn, stay outside.” Iden ordered. She opened the door and went inside, to where Hask was trying to shake Del awake. Unceremoniously, she slapped her hand onto Hask’s forehead to feel it and took in Del’s sickly form and knew something was wrong.   
“You two need to get in the car, stat. I’m taking you to the urgent care whether you like it or not.”

”Fine.” Hask said. “Good luck getting him up, though.” 

Iden and Hask ended up half helping and half dragging Del between them. He’d finally woken up, but threatened to fall right back asleep on them. 

“Don’t worry. They’ll probably just hook you up to some fluids and you’ll be good as new, yeah?” Hask said, tasked with keeping Del awake. 

He ended up being completely right. In fact, the two of them ended up right next to each other in the ER, both with an IV of fluids (both of them, not just Del were severely dehydrated) that stemmed from the same holder. The doctors also gave Del a couple high doses of Tylenol and he was soon back to his normal self, arguing with Hask over what channel the TV needed to be set on 

Tired of their bickering, Iden marched over, stole the remote and found the first Disney movie she saw, glaring at them in a way that said “try me.”

Del began to laugh out loud at her glare, commenting that she looked like his old commanding officer while Hask looked completely and utterly betrayed. In the end, though, he shut up. 

Everybody slept well that night. Even Del, who was still too weak to climb up into the top bunk and instead spent the night with his legs hanging off the couch. Their fevers broke after another day, and Iden and Seyn didn’t get sick at all. 

Hask would stay, as the kids say, “salty” about that for a long time. 


	7. Infiltration

On Friday, they went back to their normal classes. 

Iden and Seyn sat together in French class. Now knowing that Seyn was without a doubt coasting through the class she spent a little more than was probably allowed asking her for help or answers. The class was almost entirely in French, anyways, so that when Del had waited outside he had been extremely confused.   
  
“I feel really bad.” Seyn said as she walked between them. 

Del was immediately on alert. “How? Is it your head or your stomach or-“

“I didn’t mean sick. I meant guilty.” The girl continued. “Hask told me to be spying on some of my teachers.” 

“Actually, that’s an order from my father.” Iden cringed. “Hask is just kissing his ass. Like he always has.”

“I should respect authority, but...” Seyn stopped talking and looked down when she saw Hask approaching. Her shyness made Iden a bit angry and protective- she’d seen Seyn enjoy herself the other day with her mother. Now she was very different.

”I talked with some people in one of my classes today.” She told Iden while they moved through their favorite lunch line it served vegetarian food for Seyn and Iden just enjoyed it in general. “I’m going to sit with them, if that’s okay.”

”You don’t need my permission.” Iden smiled a bit. “I’m glad you found some friends.”

The younger girl smiled back, before turning away.

”Oh. And Seyn?” Iden called after her. “If you ever need to talk- I’m always here. Del, too.” Iden sincerely doubted Seyn would ever warm up to Hask but that was fine.

Seyn nodded and walked off, towards a group of people Iden assumed were freshman judging by their heights and looks.

Del, Iden and Hask sat at a table all their own. Hask leaned in and began to discuss his day. 

”I can see why your father put Staven on the list. He’s got some rather... radical views about the future. Lost a buddy in the war and now he wants to completely reform the way we fight.”

”I actually don’t want to talk about the list today.” Del said with a rather clippy tone. Iden grunted her agreement and turned down to her food.

”What?” Hask scoffed. “Iden, this is your father’s wishes. Del, it’s the only reason you’re here. To be a hunter.”

That made Del freeze. “I am not a hunter, Hask. Do not bring my days in the military into this.”

”What? Were you not proud to serve our country?”

”I’m not proud about some things I had to do.” Del snapped back. “And you won’t be, either.”

Iden’s eyes moved between the two of them like it was a very interesting tennis match.

”Iden...”Hask looked to her for support. 

“My father has reasons for why he believes that the people on this list are dangerous. Until he gives me a valid one, I won’t report anything.”

”What reasoning do you need? They’re all radicals. Is that not reason enough for you?”

”No. It’s not.” Iden shot back. “My father would be lucky to consider himself half as good a man as Lux Bonteri. He may be a radical, Hask, but he’s still a good man. I trust him.”

”Maybe that trust is misplaced.” Hask shrugged, casually, as if this was no big deal.

“I’m not hungry anymore.” Del announced, nudging his plate away. Hask eyed it, in particular the half eaten burger and Del noticed. “Have at it.”

”And you wonder how you got sick.” Iden told Hask. “You two are disgusting.” 

“She’s right, Hask. You just ate some of my DNA.” Del said.

”I may be pregnant, now.” The blonde man finished and rose from the table to clear their trays. 

”You know, for all his faults, at least conflict doesn’t last too long with him.” Del said in the brief moment Hask left. 

“He’s gotten better.” Iden agreed. Hask was no longer the grudge holder he used to be in elementary school. If anything, she was the one with the grudge against him for giving her a concussion during dodgeball in seventh grade gym class. “If only because he’s trying to prove himself to me, he’s really trying.”

”So. Seyn told me you let her drive the other day.” Del said to change the subject as Hask sat back down. 

“Oh yeah. Just down to my mom’s once we were outside city limits, but she did pretty good.”

”How’s your mom doing?” Hask asked. Despite Zeehay’s low opinion of him, if it was important to her, he wanted to know.

”She seemed alright. Then again she hadn’t started treatment yet, so I’ll probably be going to check up on her more.” Iden smiled a bit, remembering the better parts of the visit. “She absolutely adores Seyn.”

”I can see that.”

”Kept saying how she reminded her of me as a teenager. Actually, we stopped for breakfast and were mistaken for sisters by a waiter.”

”I could see it. You’ve both got the same hair and eyes.” Del said.

“You mean, brown? Nah, their eyes are different.” Hask put in. “But the hair and the skin tone, definitely.”

“Looks don’t mean anything, anyway.” Del said, “I’m an identical twin, but our other brother has blonde hair and blue eyes. No joke.”

Hask and Iden both looked at him strangely. “Do you want to tell him, or should I?” Hask whisper-yelled, and Del rolled his eyes. Clearly he could tell what he was thinking.

“Genetics are a funny thing.” Iden put in, thinking of her own family. How she looked nothing like her father to the point he had actually wanted a paternity test done. That had started the downhill of Iden trusting him.

Del and Hask went home after lunch, and Iden went to her last class of the week. She passed by Seyn on her way out of the cafeteria and couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face.

”I didn’t know Iden Versio had a sister.” One of the people at Seyn’s table was saying, out of earshot from Iden

“Oh, I’m not-“ Seyn began quietly, but wasn’t heard. She felt it best to bite her lip and stay quiet. The person talking wasn’t actually the one she had become friends with, anyway. Besides, maybe, with Iden’s permission, she could use the ruse to her advantage. After all, she had enough information about the Versio family to fill in gaps, create stories and reasons for not being talked about.

”My father saw me as a failure.” Seyn was talking about her own father, who helpfully shared the same sentiment as Iden’s father. He hadn't wanted a child much less a girl. At least not for the sake of parenting.

“That’s hard to believe, with your memory and all.” The girl went on. 

Seyn just smiled and decided that she wanted to go. She’d missed the opportunity to go home with Del and Hask, but Iden was still here. Seyn had memorized her schedule and knew exactly what class she was in at the moment. 

“Hey, Seyn.” Someone said when she stood up and made to throw away her food. It was Sadori, a boy she’d met in chemistry. “Don’t take what they said too badly, okay. They’re just being stuck up.”

”It’s alright. The Ad- Dad doesn’t talk about me much.” Hopefully, Sadori didn’t notice her mistake. It was almost as if she didn’t know how to say the word “dad” correctly. “They shouldn’t care about me.”

”Well...” The kid was going to say something else, but Seyn was already rushing away, holding her hands to her shoulders. 

She did not like being a spy one bit.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Iden found Seyn waiting outside the door to the lecture hall when class was over. “Seyn!” She exclaimed. “I thought you had gone home.”

”I missed going with Del and Hask.”

Iden sighed. “You know... if you’re not comfortable around them, you can tell me.”

”Stop saying that!” Seyn exclaimed. “It’s not that. Not at all. I just prefer your company is all, if I have to choose.”

Yeesh. Seyn really was turning into an annoying little sister. “I’m sorry. I really don’t mean to follow you around.”

“It’s really okay.” Iden said. “You may never get used to this new environment, Seyn, which is perfectly okay.”

”I don’t want you to see me as weak and annoying.”

”I don’t. Nobody does.”

”Hask said that thing the other day-“

”And Hask is a jerk. We established this already.” Iden was really going to have to have an intervention with her old friend if they were going to keep up living like this. She decided to change the subject. “How was lunch with your new friends?”

”Umm....” Seyn bit her lip. Had she called them friends? She didn’t remember doing that.

“You don’t know if friends was the right word.” Iden read her expression perfectly. “I get it. Just give it a few weeks. Or don’t. It’s your choice.”

Seyn considered those options. On one hand, she needed to distract herself with more people around her. On the other hand-

“They think I’m your sister and wouldn’t let me correct them.”

This again. Only now... Iden didn’t know these people who were saying this. Before long, there may be a rumor spreading. Iden didn’t mind. Her mother would think it funny, but her father- 

Her father may be furious. 

“It’ll be alright, Seyn. If anything happens we’ll handle it.”

They walked side by side in silence for awhile. Seyn, Iden’s “sister” came up to her shoulders, maybe being a bit generous, and was slightly thinner. Iden was in shape, of course, but if Seyn had any muscle it was well hidden. 

“Seyn.” Iden asked when they got to her car. “Do you know how to defend yourself?”

”I had tae-kwon-do when I was younger.” Seyn said like a question.

”I’ll take that as a no.” Iden answered her own question. “We’ll work on that, too.” 

“But-“

”Do you think I’m going to let MY little sister walk around a college campus without at least knowing how to break a few bones? Not a chance, Seyn. Get ready.”

Seyn was smiling as she got into the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just got accepted into music school and found out that my 2 best friends from childhood (who are just like nice! Hask and Del) will be roommates and just down the hall from me so expect a lot of nice! Hask content for at least a bit until his inevitable turning to evil.


	8. Zeehay

After Iden began to teach Seyn self-defense, the four of them all began going to the gym together in the mornings. Del and Hask would go off and do whatever it was they did while Iden and Seyn practiced on the mats, rolls and grabs and punches and kicks. Once Del caught wind of what was going on, he began using Hask as a crash dummy for Krav Maga moves he’d learned in the Military. It taught Seyn effectively, and also frequently made her and Iden laugh at the sight of Hask flattened onto the ground. Soon, even Iden had some competition.

“Well, I for one am tired of being reacquainted with the floor, over and over again.” Hask said as Del helped him up. “Come on, Iden. Put him in his place.”

”Me?” Iden stuttered. “I’ve got nothing on him.”

Similarly, Del looked nervous. “I- I don’t like to even pretend to hit girls.”

”Just for that, Meeko, you’re going down.” Iden decided, tossing down her towel and water bottle before stepping onto the mat. Across from her, Del rolled his shoulders and prepared for her to attack. He was serious about not hitting her. It was up to her to attack first.

She went low. 

Del was a tall man and was not used to fighting people considerably shorter than him. However, he adjusted easily, countering speed with speed. Knees and elbows met open hands as Iden blocked, realizing that Del’s fighting style was an entirely different art. 

“I need to show Seyn how some of this works in action.” Iden said in a low voice when Del got close to her again. “Grab me.”

”What?”

”Grab me.” She repeated, and punched him solidly in the gut. Del “oofed,” but used her compromised equilibrium to do just that and put her in a choke hold. Hask stepped forward a bit, clearly not expecting things to go this far but he didn’t know it was all under control. Del was only at half strength, and Iden had escaped from her fair share of choke holds. Like she had taught Seyn, she slid easily out of Del’s arm and grabbed him by the elbow, twirling around behind him and simultaneously kicking the inside of his knee. Del buckled and ended up with Iden having complete control of him, to the point that if he tried to rise, he couldn’t. 

Seyn had been tracking every movement, memorizing it, hoping that she could one day replicate it. Hask seemed less than impressed, and simply grunted as Iden helped Del up. “No hard feelings?”

”None. I’d get you in a real fight.” He shrugged, and looked down at his hands when he walked over to his water bottle. It had been awhile, but once upon a time he’d killed with them.

”Kinda like it when I’m not the one getting my ass handed to me for a change.” Hask commented. 

“Not to worry, Gideon.” Iden patted his shoulder. “I’ll always be the better fighter.”

”Are we still talking about that?” Hask wondered. “That was middle school. You beat me in an arm wrestling match. _Once_.” 

”Once is enough.” Iden smirked and took a drink of water. ”Bragging rights are eternal.”

”Okay. So now that we’re all nice and comfortable with each other what does the rest of the day have in store?” Del asked, still stretching out muscles after the workout.

”Nothing.” Iden said. Hask mumbled about needing to work on his running, and Seyn surprised them all by saying that she had a date.

”A _date_?” Iden squawked, hoping her voice didn’t sound too strangled. 

”I think it’s a date, at least.” Seyn said, unsure. “Isn’t that what it means when a guy and a girl go out and eat together?”

”Uh.... sometimes.” Iden said.

”If you both agree on it.” Del also tried. 

“Who is it?” Hask wondered. 

”From the kids in Chemistry I talked about a few weeks ago.” Seyn was speaking more to Iden than anyone else. “One of them proved to be a real friend. Sadori Vushan.” 

Iden had seen him a few times before. Seemed like a nice kid. Del shrugged his okay, but Hask went nuts.

”Hold on- his parents are on the list! What are you doing dating him?”

Iden nearly lunged for Hask. How dare he yell at Seyn like that! He seemed to think that because he was older and stronger than her that she had to listen to him. Well that was wrong. Iden was about to intervene when suddenly, Seyn straightened her shoulders and drew up to her full height. 

“I don’t care about the list, Hask.” She declared, threateningly, and that was clearly the last response Hask could have expected. His eyes went wide but before he could retaliate, Iden had put her hand around Seyn’s shoulders and was leading her proudly away. 

“What the hell just happened?” Hask asked Del. 

The taller man had a grin on his face. “You’re right. She really is a lot like Iden.”

God help them. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

”So. Sadori Vushan?” Iden asked Seyn as the younger girl tried to fake getting ready. There was nothing she was really doing to do so, besides showering and choosing some clothes with a bit more color. Iden would’ve offered to do her hair, but Seyn hardly had any hair to do anything with in the first place.

“The Indian side of me approves.” Iden joked, thinking back to what her mother had once said about her family shaming her for not finding an Indian spouse. 

“I thought me being your sister was a joke.” Seyn said, walking out of their bathroom while trying to put on a necklace. 

“Come here.” Iden said and Seyn turned her back to her so Iden could fasten the necklace. “Family is more than blood, Seyn. Maybe a family can be a fourteen year old prodigy, a grumpy wanna be pilot, a future FBI agent and an former marine.” 

“You want to be an FBI agent?” Seyn asked, turning back around.

”Nah. Just thought it sounded cool.” Iden grinned.

“Fifteen.” Seyn also said.

”What?”

”Fifteen. My birthday was two days ago.” Seyn said and Iden reeled. “Why didn’t you say anything! We would’ve celebrated! Tonight!

”I’m going on a date.” Seyn reminded her.   
  
“That is not celebrating.” Iden insisted. “That means we can go get you your permit, now. Which reminds me.” Iden took Seyn by the shoulders. “You know you can call us if anything happens. Even Hask will come and get you.” 

“No, thanks.” Seyn snorted and Iden giggled as well. ”Besides. Mr. Military seems to have assumed the role of my father.” 

Iden peeked out of their room and saw Del at the kitchen table, wearing his “US Marines” green shirt that showed off his arms. To anyone who knew him, it may have been a bit obvious it was a joke. To anyone else, like poor Mr. Vushan, it was probably terrifying.

”Del! What are you doing?” Iden hissed when Seyn went back inside and she crossed the room. 

“I just want to meet the kid.” Del said innocently.

”You probably already have. Don’t embarrass yourself like this.”

”I already did a background check. I can assure you I do not know this kid. Not yet.” Del cracked his knuckles and Iden realized that he had a gun on the table beside him.

”Why do you have access to background checks?”

”I have friends. From the military.” Del said and she just rolled her eyes. “Don’t embarrass her too much, please.”

”Yes, honey.” Del said in a fake voice that earned him a light slap in his head. “Wait. Where are you off to?”

”Mom’s. She started treatment yesterday. Part of the reason I wanted to beat something- you- up.” 

”You’ll be back-“

”Tomorrow. In time for rehearsal, don’t worry.”

”Drive safe.” Del said, but Iden was already out the door. She was in her car when Sadori showed up, and stayed to watch Seyn attempt to escape when Del answered the door. He hadn’t accounted for the fact that Seyn could just slip right by him and sprint off. Which she did, tugging a confused Sadori with her. 

She had meant what she’d told Seyn. In a strange way, they _were_ a family. At the least, a squad.

Her mother’s house was dark when she arrived. Iden glanced to her passenger’s seat where a bag of groceries was and sighed. When she walked up to the door she could tell that the door was already unlocked. Maybe it always was, now. 

“Mom?” She called softly, stepping inside. “Mom, it’s dinnertime. Why are all the lights off?”

From the living room came the unmistakable sound of piano music. Iden smiled a bit. Her mother had been the reason she chose to play in the first place, some of her earliest memories were sitting at the piano in her mother’s lap. 

“Mom?” Iden leaned in the archway of the living room and Zeehay turned. She hadn’t been playing, but rather a video on the TV was the culprit. Not just any video-

“Your first competition, Iden.” Zeehay said from the couch. “Ten years old and playing La Campanella. Your little hands could hardly reach the skips.”

”That reminds me of the days when dad would lock me in my room for not spending enough time on homework. I would watch the other kids play outside and wonder why I wasn’t allowed to.”

Zeehay rose from the couch to greet her daughter, and Iden couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her lips. Her mother looked so... weak. So small and beaten. When they hugged it only confirmed the fact. “Here. Sit down, mom. I’ll make some dinner.”

From the kitchen, Iden could see what her mother watched. Like a playlist, every recital, concert and competition Iden had ever had as a child, both as a pianist and a percussionist once she reached middle school. 

”When’s the last time you played, mom?” Iden asked. 

“I tried, Iden, but I just... I can’t seem to remember how.”

”That’s ridiculous, mom.” Iden set down the knife she was using to cut vegetables for a salad and went back to her mother. “Come on, mom. Come here.”

”Iden-“

”Come on, mom. Prokofiev.” Iden prompted, playing the first few lines of the duet.

Her mother still didn’t budge. “You play, Iden.” She said, tucking her legs under her. “I just want to listen. What are you working on right now?”

”The Tchaikovsky-“ Suddenly, in the kitchen, something beeped loudly. “Not again!” Iden rushed and tried to salvage what she could. Luckily, it was just a bit well done. It just meant that the chicken and rice would be extra cooked tonight.

”If there’s one thing I’m sure Garrick regrets about you living with him, it’s that you never learned to cook.”

”Don’t be silly. Dad doesn’t regret anything. I don’t think he can.”

”Have you talked to him lately?”

”Just to tell him what he needs to know.” Iden said, and set two plates down at the table. Zeehay wandered over, and Iden was saddened by the shaking of her hands as she tried to use the silverware provided. “I always did like Tchaikovsky.”

”I know. We’re using your work to finish it.” Iden said with a smile.

”Oh, you are?” Zeehay said. “Whose “we?”

”Lux Bonteri and I. One of the men on Dad’s list.” Iden said it a bit bitterly, and her mother took the subtle attack and decided not to talk about Iden’s father any more. 

“How’s everyone else?”

”Seyn went on a date tonight.” Iden said, watching her mother for a reaction.

”A date? Really!” Zeehay exclaimed.

”And she turned fifteen without telling us.” 

Somehow, her mother managed to look even more betrayed than Iden had. “I’ll bring her up next weekend.”

”Next weekend?” Zeehay asked.

”Is that okay?” 

“Well, I... I don’t know what this treatment is going to do to me, Iden. I don’t know if I’ll want you to see me...” She broke off the sentence.

”Don’t say that, mom. You know I would be here every weekend if I could to make up for lost time with you.”

Zeehay murmured something that Iden chose not to hear because it sounded downbeat. “I’ll make sure you still make it to my orchestra concerts if you can’t drive yourself. Would you be okay even if Hask was the one who drove?”

”I do not like that boy.” Zeehay said firmly. “But if it’s what it takes to get me to my daughter’s concert, so be it.” 

“You know I would but we have to be there all day.”

”I know. That was once my life as well, remember.”

”I remember, mom. Until I came along.” 

“Until you came along.” Zeehay echoed. “Seven pounds, four ounces and screaming.”

”Of course I was.” Iden rolled her eyes with a smile. She reached across the table and took her mother’s hand. “Everything will be fine, mom. Don’t worry.”

Zeehay squeezed back with a small smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference:
> 
> La Campanella  
> https://youtu.be/Hf2MFBz4S_g


	9. Memories

“Mom wants to throw Seyn a birthday party.” Iden told Del that night as they left rehearsal.

“Birthday party?” Del asked as they walked to her car. Even if Iden was the one driving, Del still opened the door for her. It was cute, she had to admit, but also wondered how much of his regular gentlemanliness was forgotten in his time as a soldier.

”Yeah. She decided not to tell us that it was four days ago.”

”Teenagers.” Del shrugged as if he knew. “What can you do?”

Iden also cracked a smile. She and Seyn had gotten really close over the past few weeks. Maybe it was time to learn more about him.“Tell me about yourself, Del.” Iden said. “I know a lot about Hask and a lot about Seyn, but what’s your story?”

”What do you want to know?”

“Well, you’re a military man. I know a lot of people who once served. My father included. They don’t... they don’t all deal with it well. My father turned into an abusive....jerk.”

“You wanted to say more than just ‘jerk’.” Del could tell. 

“Let’s just say that the weekends and holidays I spent with mom were always the better days of my life. I guess I’m just a bit jealous or surprised that you seem so... nice.”

“I’m sorry you had to live like that. I was fortunate to be blessed with a loving family. Two brothers, and parents who loved each other. Moved to Coruscant when I was ten.”

“So you have memories full of family dinners and baseball games and holidays while I have memories of being... Abused. Manipulated. I guess I still am, with what my father’s trying to get us to do.”

”Then don’t do it.” Del shrugged. “But don’t let him know you aren’t. That’s what I’m doing.”

”We have to keep tipping off Hask. That’s all.” Iden said, sighing at the thought of him. That was its own new set of problems. 

“What’s wrong with Hask? I thought you two were friends.”

”I’m starting to think we shouldn’t have ever been roommates.” Iden said. “He scares Seyn.”

”Well, at least she knows how to kick butt now.”

”So do I. But trust me. Sometimes with- men.” Del gave her a look and she quickly continued “no offense, but you can be especially... unpredictable sometimes. People like my father and Hask already have tendencies. Get alcohol involved and it gets worse.”

”I don’t drink.” Del said. “Well. Usually. Sometimes I have one or two around my, uh, anniversary, but that’s it.”

Iden wanted to ask what “anniversary” he was referring to that could need alcohol to help with, but kept her mouth shut since he kept talking. 

“Forgive me, but it almost sounds like you’re speaking from experience, Iden.” Del said in a low voice, almost afraid of how she may react.

”You could say that.” Iden’s eyes narrowed as memories flashed. The sting of her father’s hand on the soft skin of her face for speaking out of turn. The words of a drunk echoing in her ear as Hask yelled at her about something she couldn’t remember and swiped things off the table.

“I’m sorry.” Del repeated. 

Finally the silence was too much and the curiosity was killing her. “What anniversary?” She wondered, briefly noting that Del didn’t have any kind of ring or other jewelry to signify marriage. Of course, it probably would have already come up if he were given that whoever he was married to probably missed him terribly. 

“April sixth, two-thousand and four.” Del said. “We were working prison escort in Iraq. One minute, my brother and I were joking, probably about food or some movie we had pirated online and watched late at night and the next-“ Del shook his head. “His body was flying one way, me the other when that car bomb tore us apart. Somehow I just got a few bruises, shrapnel in my back but he was so.... _broken_.” Del’s voice cracked and Iden couldn’t stop the hand that went out to grip his. 

“Do you have nightmares?” She asked, then wanted to smack herself. 

“Every time I close my eyes.” Del whispered. “I’m sure Hask has heard me cry in my sleep. But he hasn’t said anything. I’m not sure if he respects me or thinks I’m some kind of coward.”

”You are not a coward, Del. You can’t be, after all this.” 

“But I did terrible things. I- I killed people, Iden. I killed-“ Del’s eyes flashed, and suddenly he was back in the sand. The sun bore down on him in his uniform, but he knew if he wasn’t wearing it he’d have other problems. 

“ _Not much longer, now. Only about three miles.” Said the soldier beside him. Not just any soldier, his brother._

_“Cut it, Elias. With this thing? Three miles walking is still another hour.” Del gestured over his shoulder at the truck, still keeping both hands on his AK-47._

_”That sounds rather pessimistic, Sergeant Meeko. One hour, then we get to choke down that lovely meal of ours.”_

“ _You also are quite pessimistic, Sergeant Meeko.”_

_They weren’t exactly the same rank, of course, as sergeant was a broad term in the military. Del was younger, but he was actually a higher rank. Only by a bit, though._

_”Hold up.” Elias really didn’t need to say anything, Del could already tell something was wrong. He could sense it. And he could smell-_

_Then everything exploded. Del landed on his back, several yards from where he had been. He jumped up, saw other members of his team doing the same. The truck was destroyed, now on its side as the enemy opened fire from above._

_In battle, you didn’t have time to think about who you were shooting. The fact most of the rebels all wore clothes to hide their faces almost made it easier to kill them. But still, Del would by haunted by the time he discovered one of the people he’d shot to be a teenager.  
_

_“When they have a gun, they aren’t a kid.” The oldest Meeko brother Cade said once. It was true.  
_

_Del rolled clumsily down a sand dune._ Out of _the corner of his eye, he saw the bodies of some of his comrades and it only spurred him to fire more, until every one of them was dead._

_The rebels and... what looked like three of his men._

_”Sarge?” Someone said, and called him over. “We lost Kitchings. Gus is buried under the truck and-“_

_Del didn’t let him finish. Half buried in loose sand, was his brother. His twin brother. A man who shared his face, and voice, and even his mind.  
_

_“No.” He breathed. “No-“_

”Del!” Iden was worried, he’d gone silent for a second, and gripped her hand hard. Stunned By her shout, he released it, already apologizing. 

“It’s alright. We’re home.” Iden said as she parked the car. “Are you- are you gonna be okay?”

”Yeah.” He said absently. “Just don’t make me kill ever again.”

Iden pursed her lips, but said nothing as they walked up the steps to the apartment. 

Del didn’t deserve those nightmares. In fact, it almost seemed like he was a totally different person. Iden never would have guessed something like that had happened to him, with all the jokes he made. 

”You’re late.” Seyn said when Iden came into their room. The younger girl was sitting in bed with a book.

”Sorry. I didn’t realize there was a curfew.” Iden said, trying to be light. It didn’t work. “Del and I had a moment.”

One of Seyn’s eyebrows raised. 

“Not like that, Seyn. He’s like, ten years older than me.” Iden said and plopped down on her own bed.

”That doesn’t matter.” Seyn pointed out but it didn’t reach Iden’s ears. She couldn’t get the sound of Del’s broken voice out of her ears. The expression of his face.

And her father wanted to- to _use_ someone like Del to possibly harm people for the advancement of his ideals. It was twisted, and evil, and wrong.

“I _hate_ my dad!” Iden said suddenly, then buried her head into her pillow and faced the wall. Seyn’s mouth opened, but she didn’t say anything. Her fingers tapped nervously at her side, spelling out a message no one was there to see.   
  



	10. Brothers

Waking up was hard the next morning. Going to the gym was harder-but once they got there everybody was at least a bit thankful. Del needed to blow off some steam, which he did on his own for awhile. 

“What’s up with him?” Hask wondered, wiping his hands on a towel as he came up to Seyn and Iden. The three of them watched Del do pullups by his lonesome, earbuds in and in a world all his own.

”We talked last night... Del has a lot of things to be angry about.” Iden said, and Hask turned back to watch his friend. Yes, Del was his friend, he’d decided, and he wasn’t that bad of a roommate, either. “Maybe if you let him beat you up, he may feel better.”

Hask gave a fake chortle and frowned at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?” But Iden was already walking away. Seyn and Iden left to take a run before going home, and Hask wandered curiously over to where Del was. It was hard not to watch him a bit- somehow, even if he didn’t look it, Del Meeko had muscle, and a lot of it. Man to man, Hask was definitely a bit jealous, but knew in a few years he’d have a workout that turned him into a fighting machine as well.

“Hey, Del?”

The older man took out one of his earbuds. “Yeah?”

”Uh, I was wondering if you’d like to have a match. Maybe talk about some things.” 

“What, did Iden tell you about our little chat?” Del scoffed. “That’s the last time I’m opening up to anyone, I guess.”

”Iden didn’t tell me anything.” Del said. “But I do think you should know that you don’t deserve any of what’s happened to you. Your brother? None of that. You’re a brave man, Del. I hope to serve as well as you did one day.”

Slowly, Del turned around, saw Hask’s outstretched hand and took it in a firm handshake. “Thanks. I always thought you’d see me as a coward.”

”Whatever for?” 

”Don’t pretend you haven’t heard my nightmares. I know I cry in my sleep.”

”I told you. I snore. I don’t hear anything.” Hask shrugged. “And even if I did. I wouldn’t say anything. If anything, I’d wake you up and make sure you’re okay.”

”I know you don’t like me.” Hask said after a beat of awkward silence. “And it’s because of this whole mess with the Admiral. So what if we just forget about it? Huh? I’m not going to talk about it anymore. I promise.”

”I’m sorry, Hask. It takes more than a few words to make me trust someone.” Del turned his back, and one of Hask’s fists clenched. 

“Who hurt you?” Hask asked. “Was it more military business, or-“

”Just stop. Please.” Del turned around and began gathering his things. “It wasn’t even twelve hours ago that I was spilling my guts and reliving a nightmare. Don’t make me do that again.”

”Well, I wouldn’t ever hurt you, Del.” Hask said to his back. “You’re my friend. We’ve been living together for the past month; we’re practically brothers.”

Del just picked up his jacket and began to walk away. “I thought we were friends, but maybe we need to start over just a bit. Rewind a few weeks.”

“So, you wanna have lunch?” Hask insisted. “I’ll buy. I know a great barbecue place just down the road. I’ll meet you in the computer lab after class and we’ll go down there.”

”I thought you drove a bike.” Del said. Hask cringed. “Yeah. You’re right.”

”I’ll drive. You buy.” Del suggested.

”Seems fair.” Hask shrugged, glad they were at least friends for the moment. He’d meant what he’d told Del. He wanted to be trusted. He wanted to be Del’s friend. His _brother_.   
  
But he would also continue doing what was _right_.

Curiosity would get the best of him later that day. Del and him had talked about everything except, it seemed, what Hask wanted to know the most about: Del’s military service. He thought that if he gave him a few hours and also got some good food into him it would loosen him up, but he was wrong.

When they got home, Hask used the window of Del going to the restroom to do a bit of snooping. He opened the closet and looked through Del’s side, trying to find any clues. 

His uniforms were both secured in fancy zip-up hanging bags. He wouldn’t be able to get any clues from those. Frustrated, Hask returned things to order and retreated from the closet, falling back to his bed.

On his laptop, Hask opened a new tab and started by just googling a name. “Del Meeko.”

Nothing important came up, except for dozens of FaceBook profiles and Del didn’t have FaceBook as far as he knew. Okay, fine. “Iraq, 2004.”

There was more on that. Several battles, skirmishes and other things. The authors of the articles had been careful to not give too many names. Except for-

“Sergeant?” Hask said to himself. “Sergeant Meeko was-“ he squinted. “Killed in the line of duty- no, that can’t be right.” He scrolled some more, and his eyes widened. Oh. _Oh_. 

There had been two men known as Sergeant Meeko. Had been. Only one was alive now. 

That’s what Iden had been talking about. 

Being an only child, Hask didn’t know what it was like to have a sibling, or what it was like to lose one. He did realize that twins were a different kind of sibling, and judging by the face of the late Elias Meeko, he and Del truly were identical. 

_See your face on a dead man._ Del had told him. 

Hask decided that was enough snooping for one day. He also needed to send an important email, and was just pressing send when Del came into the room. “Hey.”

”Hey.” Hask managed not to slam the screen of his laptop shut, even if he knew there was a risk that Del found out about his snooping and the email correspondence he had going with Iden’s father. Even Iden didn’t know, but she didn’t trust Hask too much now anyway.

A few moments later, Hask’s phone alerted him that he had received an email. He checked it, and saw that it was only a name.

”Hey, Del?” He asked. “Do you know a guy named Azen?”

”Oh, yeah.” Del called from his desk. “I first heard of him from Iden, though, met him just the other night. Why?”

”No reason.” Hask slid his phone back into his pocket. “We were just assigned to be lab partners.” He lied smoothly, and Del “hmmphed.”

”Good luck. He can be pretty temperamental.”

For some reason, Versio wanted Hask to drop his other assignment and put a face to Azen for him. There were... suspicions surrounding the man. If he was on the list originally and was now being made top priority, it couldn’t be good.

“Azen’s that weird guy who tried to get me to go out with him.” Iden said later. “Eventually he took no for an answer, but-“

”Did you beat him up?” Seyn asked, with an oddly happy look in her eyes.

”Um... No. Mr. Bonteri drove him off. For some reason, Azen listened to him.” 

“Oh?” Hask tried not to look too interested as he leaned forward. This was interesting. Somehow, Azen knew Lux, _and_ was of interest to the Admiral. There was something going on around here and Hask thought it very suspicious.

The Admiral hadn’t given Hask a real reason for going after Azen, (he wasn’t the same kind of radical as everybody else) but now it seemed he didn’t need one. He was some kind of a mole. 

“I’ll have to remember that when I’m working with him.” Hask said, clenching a fist. This man was a double agent, and not to mention he’d disrespected Iden. Del looked similarly distressed, but maintained a cool exterior. 

Hask found himself back at his computer that night after dinner.

He had work to do.


	11. Infiltration

Unwilling to fracture his new relationship with Del, Hask went to Iden with the knowledge he gained about Azen. Needless to say, she was furious.

”I thought I told you to stay out of it!” She demanded. “You aren’t here to spy, Hask. You’re here to just... go to college. Be _normal,_ though I know that’s hard for you. Always chasing after some kind of glory.” Iden waved her hands and then let them fall to her side. “I don’t know what to do with you, Hask. I really don’t.”

”You could listen to your father, for one.” Hask pulled out his laptop to show her. “Look. _Look_ at what I found.”

Iden looked mostly just to humor him, but her eyes narrowed at what she read. 

“He’s some kind of... agent.”

”Yeah. And he’s gone rogue, according to your dad. Selling secrets. To the rest of the list.”

”What kind of secrets?”

“Navy secrets. Your dad is an Admiral, this guy was one of the few men who earned a “dishonorable discharge.”

”And he wants revenge, by telling all that my father has done out of turn.”   
  
Hask was right about her father being, well, the Admiral. But some of his tactics had been off and people wanted to complain. People like Azen wanted to get her father into trouble. Out of duty, Iden couldn’t let that happen. “Who’s he trying to go to? FBI? INTERPOL?”

”Anyone, I’d assume.”

”So what do we do?” Iden wondered, and she didn’t like the look that Hask gave her while he explained.

She didn’t sleep that night. She was slightly bothered by the fact that (she could tell by the snoring) Hask had fallen right to sleep.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Is something wrong?” Del asked Iden, leaning over to whisper while their calculus professor went on and on about derivatives.   
  
“I was asking you the same not too long ago.”

”I know, but- you look like something’s bothering you.”

“Hask is going on about the list again.” Iden said, and Del grumbled under his breath. “Someone on it’s going after my family and I can’t let them.”

”Who?”

”You won’t believe it, but it’s Azen Novaren.”

”Azen? Really? He didn’t seem that bad.” Del shrugged.

”You’re just saying that because you like having someone else to cover the cymbal part.” Iden teased.

It was true. For the Romeo and Juliet Overture and the cymbal part Del so despised, he and Azen had switched so Del was now on bass drum. Which was fine. Now he wasn’t as bothered by the noise.

Speaking of which, “you know, you chose the wrong instrument to play if you were gonna end up with PTSD.” 

”Earplugs.” Del reminded her. “Plus, you’re wrong. All it means is I’m now the most qualified of us to all to play the cannon part of the 1812 Overture.”

He was being a jokester, and Iden appreciated it. Del was easy to talk to and it was always better if he was enjoying himself while he did so.

“You were an engineer, not a soldier.” Iden said like a question.

”All that means is I built the weapons. I didn’t always fire them.” Del said. “That’s what I did when I wasn’t in Iraq. Building weapons. And training. Constantly. Tried to break training course records but Cade was always just a bit stronger or faster.”

”Cade is... older?” Iden still confused Del’s brothers occasionally.

”Yep. Elias was KIA just before I came home. Part of what made me decide I’d had enough.” Del sighed. “I may not have been my parents’ favorite son, but I wasn’t going to leave them without a reminder of Elias.”

”That’s ridiculous. How could your parents do favorites like that?”

”I don’t know. It was kind of a joke.”

Iden didn’t appreciate the sentiment and frowned. Not wanting to start something she couldn’t hold above a whisper, she just looked back down at her notes and book, trying to follow along. Del was doodling in the margins of his spiral, and the left arm whose hand he was drawing with bumped her dominant right elbow.

They both pretended not to notice. When they walked to the cafeteria, Iden spotted Seyn sitting with Sadori.

”What’d you think of him?” She asked Del, bumping his elbow in the direction of the two teens.

”Oh he’s... fine.” Del said carefully. “Brought her back a whole thirty minutes before curfew and-“

”Del!” Iden playfully pushed him. “You gave her a _curfew?”_

”It was Friday night!” He said defensively. “I didn’t want her out there during happy hour!”

”Del, she is fifteen. She wouldn’t be allowed!” 

”Drunk drivers.” Del insisted. “As I was saying, Sadori seems nice. I don’t see why his parents would be on the list, and he doesn’t either.”

”You actually talked to him?”

”I showed him my gun collection.” Del corrected.

”That’s not much better...” Iden mumbled as they sat back at the table with Hask. “How’d it go today?”

”Ugh. 4:58.” Hask was still looking a bit red in the face from running. “Just barely scraped by. Seyn was right- I had to sprint.”

”Great! This means I can sign us all up for that race in a few weeks!” Del clapped his hands together and both Iden and Hask glared at him. 

“No.” Iden said.

”Absolutely not.” Hask added.

Del chuckled to himself, but Iden had a feeling he hadn’t entirely been joking. He craved companionship, and she found it very cute. She also thought it admirable how he didn’t bring up Hask’s plan or the list, either, even if he clearly wanted to.

“What were the military requirements for fitness, anyway?” Hask wondered, taking a long pull from his water bottle.

”A lot more than you can handle.” Del smiled behind his drink. 

“Oh, you think so?”Hask said. “I may not be able to do as many pullups as you, Del. But I’m just as tough.”

”Physically.” Del murmured, and Iden hardly heard. But Del smiled at Hask. “Of course you are. The navy- is it?- The Navy will be lucky to have you.”

”If I can make it through college, that is.” Hask scoffed. ”I can handle some drill sergeants and bad food.”

Iden watched as Del tensed and rolled his eyes. Clearly, he didn’t like the way Hask was blowing him off. 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we need to talk about Azen. Let’s do it now, without Seyn, because I don’t want her to know. Not while she’s so happy.” Iden couldn’t make eye contact with Del after saying those words. No doubt he felt a little upset by her sudden openness to talk about what he hated.

“We need to stop him.” He agreed, probably only because Iden was threatened. “But how?” 

“I think we may be going about this all wrong. We need to think. Step back and think about how this all connects.”

”How what connects?” Hask wondered.

”The list and my father.” Iden said. “And maybe the list is another tool. It can help us link the members up to each other. Obviously the Vushans know each other, but the others? Lux may know what’s going on with Azen.”

”You’re right.” Hask said. Then he turned away scowling. “Of course you’re right.”

”Just a bit slow, Gideon.” Iden teased. She stood up and grabbed her bag.

”Where are you going?” Del asked, brows wrinkled as if he were concerned. 

”To speak to Lux. I’m going to find out what he knows.”


	12. Infiltration

She found him in his office, occupied with several stacks of papers as he frowned with someone on the screen of his computer. 

Patiently, she waited for him in the doorway, remembering how she would treat her father when he was busy. _Don’t approach until asked for.  
_

Lux was speaking in a language she was pretty sure was supposed to be French, but it was so rapid that she couldn’t understand most of it even with all her experience. No matter, she probably wasn’t supposed to understand, anyway.

”Oh.” Lux’s eyes widened when he saw her and he quickly ended his call with... whoever and stood up. “Iden. How are you?”

”Oh, I’m fine, I just needed to talk to you about a few things.” Iden said as he crossed the office and led her to the main part of the classroom.

”About the music, or-“

”It’s actually about my family, I guess you could say.”

His eyes widened, ever so slightly. “Did something happen? Is your mother alright?”

”She’s fine, thank you for asking.” Iden said. For some reason, Lux seemed more... skittish today. Usually he was very calm and composed. Something must’ve been going on with him. “It’s actually more of my father. See he, he asked me to gather information on Azen Novaren.”

”Azen?” Lux asked, and Iden could definitely tell something was up now by the way Lux’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why him?”

”I’m not sure. That’s why I was hoping you could help me. I know that you know him like you know me, and so maybe you know something that I don’t?”

”Even if I did, Iden, I can’t just tell you that.” Lux scoffed. “You know that.”

”My father is somehow threatened by him. Which means I am, too.” Iden insisted.

“Azen.” Lux repeated. “He’s always been telling me things... trying not to get me to trust you, and others. But I don’t pay him much heed. How exactly is he threatening you?”

”I’m not sure. My father won’t specify but he seems to think that Azen has something on him.”

”I guess I’ll talk to him again.” Lux said. “He seems to listen to me for some reason.” 

”Can’t imagine why...” Iden murmured. “No offense, but you’re kind of...”

”What?” Lux asked, wiping hair from his eyes. “Unintimidating? Soft?”

”Well you’ve been nothing but nice to... everyone really. It’s hard to imagine you being strict to anyone.”

”I got Azen off of your tail once, Iden. I can do it again.” Lux was walking for the door. “Now you know I am always open to talk but today is just not a good time. Unless you want to help me grade papers.”

”I mean, I could-“ Iden said, but watched Lux open the door and wave her out. Slightly perplexed, she walked out. This was new. Never in her years of knowing him had Lux ever reacted like this. And all of it was because of...

”Azen.” She heard Lux’s voice from inside his office. Carefully, she leaned against the door to hear better. Lux was talking in that rapid French -Swiss French, maybe, Iden wished Seyn were here- and Iden couldn’t catch most of it. But what she did catch was frightening. 

“Elle est sur nous.”

_She’s onto us._

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

”That just doesn’t make any sense.” Hask said, shaking his head after they had finished dinner. Seyn had excused herself, so Iden had finally breached the topic.

“Iden.” Del said, leaning forward. “Are you _sure_ that’s what he said?”

”No. That’s the problem.” Iden put her head in her hands. “I think I need Seyn.”

”What we need is that computer.” Hask said, and they all looked at him like he was crazy. “What? It’s true.”

”He’s not just gonna leave his computer somewhere for someone to find it.” Del frowned. “That’s a stupid idea. But between Seyn and I we have over 500 IQ points. If, and that’s a big ‘if’, we managed to get a hold of it, I’m sure we could get something off of it.”

”We need to slow down.” Iden used her hands to emphasize. “This isn’t something we can find a solution to overnight. We have months. And we need to use all the time to come up with a plan. Hask, how’s it going with Staven?”

”Uh, fine. He’s getting more and more agitated, ranting more and more. But like you said Lux seemed onto Azen...”

”Yes?”

”Staven seems at odds with Lux. I don’t know how the two of them know each other given that Lux is a professor and Staven just one of my classmates, but-“ Hask shook his head. “We should just have had Del interrogate Azen. Something tells me that would have solved all our problems.”

”Hold on, no.” Del stiffened and clenched his fists. Iden gently covered one with her hand and reminded him to calm down. Hask didn’t mean it. Or at least, he _shouldn’t_ mean it. 

“I mean, you’ve done it before, right? Interrogated someone?” 

”Hask....” Iden warned, and he knew to go quiet if Iden wasn’t using his first name. He scoffed a bit but looked down, mumbling something about just needing the answers. 

“Something tells me what you want to do to him is torture.” Del continued. “Which, yes. I have learned how to do that. I know how to break a man’s body slowly so that he begs for mercy. Did I ever actually do it? No. Will I ever do it? Never.” 

“Quit putting words in my mouth, Meeko. I’m not a bad guy.” Hask’s brows were narrowed, and he leaned forward in his spot ever so slightly.

“I’m going to bed.” Del announced, and stood up without further comment. Hask stared at his retreating back but didn’t seem to have any kind of remorse on his face.

”I had a point, didn’t I?” He asked Iden, who just rolled her eyes in disgust. “You really have no idea, do you?”

”No idea of what?”

”Anything!” Iden exclaimed and followed Del’s example, going off to bed without another word. 

But a small part of her wondered if Hask was right. Though it was incredibly difficult to imagine Del being in the military at all, much less interrogating someone. If anything, by the way he’d reacted, Iden wouldn’t be surprised if he had been the one once interrogated. Or... worse.   
  
She shuddered.

A few moments later there was a quiet knock on Iden and Seyn’s door. Half expecting, and maybe even hoping for it to be Del, Iden answered it and was disappointed to see Hask instead. 

“Can we talk?” He wondered.   
  
“We tried to, earlier.” Iden frowned, but slid out of the door and followed Hask anyway. 

“I keep setting the two of you off somehow, even though I don’t mean to.” Hask sat down across from her in a chair and awkwardly wrung his hands. “I’m sorry.”

”Look. I’m used to you.” Iden assured him. “But Del? He isn’t. You just need to be more careful about what you say to him.”

”What am I supposed to do? There’s no way of telling how he will react. He’s oddly soft, is what he is.” 

“He was a soldier.” Iden corrected. “And if _you_ still try to enlist when you graduate, someday you may understand, too.”

“I’m not sure if I want to anymore.” Hask said. 

“What!”

”Del told me he would change my mind. I think he has. Maybe. I don’t want to hurt him, and I think it would hurt him to see me ship out. Instead, I want to help him. I know you do, too. So... truce?”

”Yeah, of course,” Iden clapped her hands together lightly, oddly delighted at the change of events. “But, you still need to work on some things.” 

“And I’ll have to tell your father if I truly decide not to go in. He’ll be disappointed, for sure.”

”Yeah, but he’ll get over it. And how about this: I’ll punch you anytime you start to say something stupid?”

”No!” Hask exclaimed defensively as she laughed. “I’d get permanent damage from that, for sure!”

It was past ten o’clock, therefore Iden wasn’t exactly tired anymore. In fact, she was hungry for a nighttime snack. “Do you want anything?” She asked as she turned the corner into the kitchen. 

“Maybe some pretzels?” Hask called back as he lounged on the couch and turned on the TV. It defaulted to the sports station, and Hask was enjoying his game until a breaking news report took over.

”Holy shit.” He breathed, just as Iden came back into the room. Hask’s bowl of pretzels fell from her hand and shattered on the ground, the noise drawing Seyn and Del to come running, the latter with a crazed look in his eyes.

Azen Novaren had been found. Dead.

“Oh my god.” Iden breathed, easing her way around the glass shards and closer to the TV screen. At her expression, Del stole the remote from Hask and turned it off.

“Did I- Did this happen because of me?” She asked. 

“No.” Seyn muttered, left hand tapping out a message Del was focused on interpreting. “It couldn’t have been you. Like you said. Lux seemed to have been looking at him for a long time.”

”And so was my target, Staven.” Hask reminded them. “Azen was just... caught in a deadly triangle of two radicals and Iden’s father.”

”We gotta find out how Staven and Lux are connected.” Del decided. “Come on, Seyn. Let’s do some looking.” 

“Look, Iden-“ Hask began when Del and Seyn left the living room, going to get their respective laptops and start looking. 

“I don’t want to hear it, Hask. I think I just need to be alone for awhile.” 

Hask didn’t like it, but he left Iden in the living room, curled up on the couch with her legs drawn up to her.   
  
_I can’t believe what I’m about to do._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> K guys sorry if it’s not 100% like the book because, I don’t actually have the book with me right now :). Oh well...
> 
> What was so important that Azen had to die? Perhaps we’ll find out soon....


	13. Infiltration

“Iden?” 

A few hours after that fateful newscast, she looked up and saw Seyn creeping towards her with her laptop in hand. 

“I found something.” Seyn looked shocked, and upset, and Iden immediately sat up and made room for her to sit next to her. Seyn continued to hide her screen. “It’s about Mr. Bonteri.”

Iden sighed and then slowly opened her eyes. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Seyn turned the screen around, and Iden stared at it a few moments. Then she looked back to Seyn. “Seyn. I can’t read any of this.” 

”Oh. Right.” Seyn clicked a few buttons, and the words translated to English.

”He’s...Interpol.” Iden said in shock. The pictures were old, but the information was current. “Interpol. Why is my father getting entangled with Interpol?”

”And that’s not all.” Seyn said. “It’s not just him. Hask’s guy, Staven, he’s Interpol, too. And so was Azen.”

”Oh?” Now that was surprising. He’d have to be one of the youngest Interpol agents out there if it meant that he could blend in with college surroundings.

”We already knew about Sadori’s parents. But anyway, everyone being involved isn’t even the strangest part- look at what everyones specialty is.” Seyn highlighted part of the screen, and Iden’s eyes widened even more.   
  
“Wait.” Iden said. “Seyn, how did you get this information, anyway? You didn’t just-“

”Hack the Interpol database? Of course not. Del and I bounced off our VPNs from several different locations, first. We aren’t stupid.”

”Yeah? What’s Del looking into?”

Seyn’s eyes fell. “Your father.” She said, quietly. 

“I mean... It makes sense.” Iden conceded. He hadn’t disclosed why they were supposed to be tracking people who turned out to be freaking Interpol agents. Now it made sense as to why Lux had been speaking French. That’s where Interpol headquarters were.

”I still don’t think you should be snooping around an organization like Interpol, Seyn. We shouldn’t even know any of this.” Iden moved to close the window on Seyn’s laptop.

”Hey!” Seyn protested. 

“I don’t know why Del told you to do this. No more. Now I know what to look for with Lux and the others and _you_ -“ Iden empathized with a finger pointed at Seyn’s chest. “Need to forget about it. We don’t want to blow anybody’s cover. They’re clearly undercover.”

”But-“ Seyn began. 

”No more, Seyn.”

”But I don’t understand who could have killed Azen. The only people who knew about him being Interpol _was_ Interpol. Your father didn’t really know for sure, and you did say Lux said that thing you overheard.”

”I don’t know, Seyn. But this is a lot of information and I’m going to sleep on it. Okay? You should, too.”

”I’ll tell Del to stop snooping, too.”

”Del’s a grown man. I can’t stop him from doing anything.”

”I’m technically an adult!” Seyn protested, and Iden just cocked an eyebrow.

She wasn’t legally right, even if she were in college, but Iden still felt responsible for her. “I’m not going to have you get in trouble on our behalf. Stay away from the case, or I’ll have Del bug your laptop.”

”You guys don’t let me do anything!” Seyn pouted dramatically before stalking back to her and Iden’s room. It was kind of funny, and Iden cracked a smile at her expense. The smile quickly faded when she composed a message to her father. She would be calling him in the morning.

Iden stayed on the couch for a long time. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

With the realization that Lux Bonteri was not who everyone thought he was, Iden found it hard to keep a respectful tone around him. As much as she wanted to confront him, she knew the smart thing to do was to consult with her father first. Iden wasn’t happy about it, but she called him. 

He answered on the first ring, almost as if he had been expecting a call.

”Hello, father.” She said, begrudgingly. 

“Iden.” He said in return. 

“There’s been a... development.” She said. ”I thought I would talk to you before I did anything.”

”A wise decision.” He said, dryly. “Not to worry, I was prepared on coming down to meet you as soon as you called.”

”You were- prepared?” Iden asked. “How?”

”Your friend Hask has kept me in the know. Quite well. I’m aware of your reluctance to do what I’ve asked of you.” 

_Hask_. Iden nearly growled, but instead chose just to glare in the direction of his room. _I should have known._

But that wasn’t her biggest shock. “You’re coming here?”

”Yes. I’d like to hear what you and your friends have to say. I’m sure you have realized by now, but I put the four of you together for a very specific reason.”

”Yeah. _Your_ reason.” Iden spat. “I guess I’ll be seeing you around.”

”Tomorrow night.” 

“Got it.” Iden grumbled. She was about to hang up, but then had a thought. “Did you ever talk to mom after that text I sent you?”

”I did talk to her once, yes.” Garrick Versio said. Iden couldn’t see it, but his eyes fell a bit and he slid his free hand into a pocket. It was one of his tells- he really was concerned. No matter what Iden thought. ”Has something happened?”

”No.” Iden said, scowling “but don’t sound like you’re expecting it to. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You and the rest. I would like to speak to everyone.” He hung up at that, always one to have the final word.

Del and Hask came into the room, rubbing sleep from their eyes and ready to get to the gym. She must have still been scowling, because Hask asked if she’d been speaking to her father. 

“Is it that obvious?” She wondered.

”Only to me.” Hask said and behind him, Del frowned as if he didn’t approve of the words. “What did he say?”

”He’s coming to have dinner with us tomorrow.” Iden said with a fake smile. “You two can go on ahead. I don’t think Seyn and I will be coming today.”

Hask looked ready ti protest more, but Del shoved him out of the door. For some reason, he seemed much better at reading Iden’s emotions even though he had known her for a much shorter period of time.

Inside their room, Seyn was still on her laptop. While she had stopped snooping as Iden had instructed her, she still was interested about what Interpol could have to do with their lives right now. 

“Find anything?” Iden asked, sitting on her bed as Seyn looked up. 

“Nothing of interest. Interpol is just like the FBI, but global. What would your father want with a global police force? And why would they kill Azen?”

”He could have gone rogue. Remember, he did also get tangled with my father’s affairs.”

”Yes, but... why would an Interpol agent be killed for messing with your father? Which side executed him? And why?”

”It may have been my fault he died. So I’m going to find out.” Iden said, determined. “But first we need to make it through dinner with my father.”

”We?” Seyn’s eyes widened. 

”Yes. All four of us.” 

“Does he know that people think I’m your sister?”

”No, but, I won’t say anything.” Iden assured her. 

“You know, if I could just investigate a bit more I could have all the answers...” Seyn tilted her head and batted her eyes. 

“No. Not yet.” Iden insisted. “And probably not for awhile. If ever.”

”Is this really the only reason that your father wanted us to be in the same place? To investigate this? I never signed up to be a spy.”

”Well, Seyn, you’ll learn pretty quickly that when it comes to my father, it doesn’t matter what you want. In the end, only his plans matter.” Iden’s voice was quiet by the end of that sentence and soon she was patting the bed underneath her awkwardly. “I’m going to take a shower before class. Don’t wait up on me.” Iden closed the bathroom door and then opened it again, sticking her head back out. “And no snooping!”

”I heard you the first time!” 

Iden had to suppress a grin. She liked being an older sister. 

She just hoped and prayed that she wouldn’t be the reason something happened to Seyn. 


	14. Conflict

Iden was fidgeting before dinner even started. First of all, she hated having to wear a dress. Second of all, she hated to actually have to meet her father face to face. 

Del, Hask, and Seyn were all ready to go before she was. The two men were also fidgeting, and Iden had to say that both of them looked very uncomfortable in their respective tuxes. 

“Having trouble there, you two?” She teased lightly. Del was struggling to get the buttons of his jacket fastened while Hask looked a bit stiff in the shoulders.

”Don’t remember it being so tight, is all. I thought I’ve been _losing_ weight.” Del frowned and tugged on his collar. Hask snorted, but the motion made him jerk his shoulders and he cringed. 

“Hold on. Something’s not right.” Iden wasn’t an expert on men’s formal wear but she was pretty sure both jackets were the wrong size, judging by how Hask’s hung halfway down his thighs and Del’s was extremely constricting around his shoulders. If she believed them (and she did) they just weren’t fitting properly. 

“Del, turn around.” She said, and he did, confused. Standing on her toes, Iden peeked at the tag. Her eyes widened and she loosed a laugh. “I think you two need to switch jackets.” She said, and Seyn laughed as they sheepishly did so.

”Oh, thank god. I was afraid I would flex out of that other one.” Del rolled his shoulders and easily buttoned the jacket that was rightfully his. Likewise, Hask settled into his and stretched his legs. 

“Pants okay, Meeko?” He wondered. “Nice and loose?”

”What are you trying to say, Hask?” Del joked as he threatened to tousle the shorter man’s hair. Soon they were chasing each other out of the door and laughing. 

“Lucky.” Seyn said with a jealous look on her face. Like Iden, she was not happy about her dress, and may have been wearing sneakers under it, Iden didn’t know for sure. “Imagine actually being able to _move_ in your dress attire.”

”You got that right.” Iden had to hold the hem of her long blue dress up in a hand to walk properly. Seyn tripped down the stairs several times as her dress was actually one of Iden’s old ones, what came down to Iden’s knees went down to Seyn’s ankles.

”Do you have any idea why your father has summoned us?” Hask wondered from the backseat as Del drove. “Is it about what’s been going on, or-“

”I’m thinking that.” Iden said. “But, still. Don’t say too much. I still have a semester of college I want to enjoy and thinking about all of this? It makes me not so happy about it.”

”I’ll keep my mouth shut.” Hask decided, leaning back in his seat. All of them wanted to look at Seyn, who would likely be the one to say anything out of excitement or nervousness. Like Iden, she tended to ramble when she was nervous.   
  
“The last time I was at a dinner with my father my mother and he were still on regular speaking terms.” Iden huffed. “You can imagine that was awhile ago.”

”Well, at least your father seems to know a good place to eat.” Del commented as they arrived at the restaurant. It was a high-end restaurant with a dress code, thus all of them had dressed up. Knowing Hask, Iden was pretty sure he would have dressed up anyway if only to impress her father. 

“I swear.” She mumbled. “If he says anything about Hask and me like he did last time-“ Del gave her a look, one she couldn’t quite read as he opened her door for her. 

“Just forget that he’s your father. Remember that it’s only a business meeting.” Del said, helpfully.

She appreciated the sentiment, but Del didn’t understand. “That’s the thing, Del. Even when I was young those things tended to coincide.”

”Have I mentioned that I don’t like your father?” Del murmured. She took his arm gently, in a typical “guy escorting girl” fashion as they entered the restaurant. The air smelt of fine foods like fish and steak, and Iden crinkled her nose a bit. Del noticed, and even though he was greatly looking forward to a fine meal he could see where Iden was coming from.

”I forgot you don’t eat meat.” 

”Oh, I eat meat.” Iden corrected “Seyn’s the vegetarian. Or wait, she eats fish... I forgot the name for it.”

”Pescatarian.” Seyn piped from her other side.   
  
“Right.” Iden let go of Del’s arm and moved instead to her. “Remember. I’m going to do the talking.” 

Seyn nodded half-heartedly, eyeing a display of desserts. Despite her small physique, Iden had seen Seyn inhale impressive amounts of food. She and Del both must have crazy fast metabolisms.

Hask got them checked in and a waiter led them to their table. Iden’s father was already there, as expected, and rose to greet them. Del and Hask both easily dwarfed him, but for some reason he always had a confidence about him anyways.   
  


“Hask.” He said easily to the man he viewed as a son while they shook hands. “Mr. Meeko.” He turned to Del and greeted him similarly. 

There was a man already with her father who also shook hands with them. Iden recognized him as Jha Eka, a man who’d always been business partners with her father since she was around ten years old. Luckily, the man was somewhat tolerable.

Iden forced herself to look her father in the eye and saw Seyn stiffen and do the same. Admiral Versio regarded them a moment, his eyes going between the both of them until he decided against commenting on how it was almost like looking at two of his daughter. “Iden and Seyn. Please sit down, I know we have a lot to discuss.”

Iden knew she didn’t have much of a choice. It ended up that her father sat patriarch of the table with Eka on his right and Iden on his left. Seyn had taken the spot on Iden’s left before either Del or Hask could protest, and that landed Del across from Seyn and Hask opposite Iden’s father.

Nobody said a word and stared awkwardly at their menus. Iden’s father pointed out a special and Iden shot him a glare. “I don’t eat steak. Or beef.” 

Meanwhile, Seyn had spotted the glass of wine at her place. For some reason it had been there before they’d sat down, so nobody could predict that she could be underaged. Glancing a bit towards Iden who was busy exchanging angry words with her father, she reached for the glass until Del, fast as a viper, reached out and snatched it from her, shaking his head. Hask raised an eyebrow and chuckled a bit, and Seyn almost kicked him under the table. Her legs weren’t touching the ground beneath her. 

”You guys don’t let me do anything.” She huffed again, as Del made sure the glass was taken away and the waiter brought her a new non-alcoholic beverage. 

Once they ordered it became time to get down to business. Del and Hask stopped joking about “fill-it mig-nons” and paid attention, listening to what Iden had to say.

”We all understand, now, why you put us together.” She began. “You wanted us to be your spies-“

”Agents. My agents.” 

“Spies, for these people who are just, trying to live their lives but you seem to want to butt in and have us dig up all the dirt on them.”

Her father leaned forward, and Iden involuntarily flinched a bit. Everyone else tensed, and Seyn stopped swinging her legs to scoot a bit farther too. 

“Those people who I told you to look after would see us destroyed!” Said the admiral, strangely calm even with a raised voice.

”See _you_ destroyed.” Iden corrected. “There is no ‘us’. I don’t know what you do that makes you a target of freaking Interpol, but I don’t like it.”

”So they are Interpol.” Her father said, leaning back and towards Eka. They exchanged a few words and the assistant nodded.

”Dad.” The word felt weird on Iden’s mouth, but she had to say it. “What _are_ you doing?”

”You are my daughter Iden, but it is not your concern.”

She wanted to protest so badly, but Versio moved on and faced Hask. “Hask. What have you found?”

”Everything I’ve already told you. Nothing more.”

”And did you discover anything more about Azen Novaren’s death?”

”We did discover one thing, sir.” Del said. “His real name was Lar Kantayan.” He and Seyn had figured that out together.

”Really? Hmm.” 

”Was that another part of your plan? For a man to die?” Iden demanded through gritted teeth.

”Azen Novaren, or Lar Kantayan, was also not who he said he was.”

”He was an agent-“ Seyn said meakly by Iden’s side but wasn’t heard. 

“He was playing both sides. A year ago, he was released from naval service with a dishonorable discharge. Then he went onto work with Interpol or those involved. You can see how that raised problems.”

”So you killed him?” Iden finished.

”Iden. I know you do not trust me, but believe me when I say I did not kill Azen.” Searching her father’s eyes, Iden knew it was true and drew back. “Then who did?”

Hask suddenly looked down at the table. Beside him, Del’s eyes widened but he said nothing. Iden saw him clench his fists. 

Any further discussion of the topic was halted by the arrival of their food. Iden somehow still had an appetite and ate nearly everything on her plate. 

“Don’t think you can soften me up with good food. I still don’t like this. Any of it. I didn’t like Azen, but he didn’t deserve to die.” Iden told her father to his face. He just sighed and asked for the check.

”Did you discover anything else? Hask? Mr. Meeko?”

”Even if I had, sir.” Del said carefully. “I’ve served my fair share of plans that borderline morally wrong and I do not feel it right to share what I have to say at the moment. I will continue my assignment as ordered, but I have nothing incriminating to say about my target.”

Iden could’ve kissed him, given the way that Del’s words had clearly put her father’s hackles up. 

“Very well.” Said Garrick Versio, only half paying attention as he signed the check for their meal. Money had never been an object for the Versio family, but Iden didn’t like to flaunt it around.

”Will we be seeing you again, sir?” Hask wondered, positioning himself at Iden’s father’s side as they left the restaurant. 

“Not for awhile.” He replied, folding his hands behind his back. “But eventually, I will need reports. From all of you.” The Admiral seemed to look especially at Del and Seyn, and Iden felt the urge to protect them. 

“Wait.” She called before her father got too far away. She took a few steps and asked in a hushed whisper, “if you didn’t kill Azen, who did?”

”I told you that he was playing a double agent. You and I both know how business in the paramount of policing goes.”

”You mean-“ Iden was already reeling in shock.

”Yes.” He said simply. “Goodbye, Iden.”

She stood there stunned and alone, until Del came up and took her arm gently. “Iden? Are you alright?”

”No.” She said, eyeing where his hand was on her arm. Del noticed and let go. “I just want to go home.”

”Then it’s a good thing I’m driving.” He said. “But I’m not letting you into the car until you tell me what’s wrong.”

”You were brave, standing up to my father like that? I wouldn’t ever dream of doing that.” Iden said, casually avoiding the subject. 

“He’s not the worst man I’ve ever known.” Del shrugged a bit. “I meant what I said by serving worse. But don’t dodge the question.”

“Fine.” Iden grumbled. “My father said that Azen was almost a double agent, telling secrets to the international police after being sent home. If the navy didn’t kill him, then it was either truly a freak accident, or-“

”Someone in Interpol didn’t want him figured out.” Del finished, understanding what she meant. “Don’t worry, Iden. We’ll figure it out.”

”I know, I just... I can’t imagine that some of the people on dad’s list would... kill.”

”It’s a bureaucracy, Iden. It’s how it works. Soldiers follow orders. Just because I killed people doesn’t make me a bad person, right? Because I was following orders.”

”Right.” Iden decided, feeling a bit better. She still couldn’t imagine being able to look at Lux normally again.

”Alright. Glad we talked.” Del said almost a bit too quickly. He held out his arm in the direction of the car and Iden followed it. Soon she was getting back into the passenger seat while Hask and Seyn already waited.

”Did you two have a nice talk?” Hask wondered, and Iden could detect a slight bit of jealous and “stay away” in his voice.

”A fine talk.” Del responded in stride. Seyn was grinning at something only she knew but Iden caught the drift. 

“I’m going to wipe that smile right off of your face.” She threatened, and Seyn just grinned wider. 

Iden couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the girl’s antics.

At least someone still had some humor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the novel Seyn was like 20 she shouldn’t have been drinking anyway smh. 
> 
> I wonder who killed Azen? Hmm.


	15. Bonding

After Azen’s mysterious death, life continued as somewhat normal. They had class, Del and Iden went to rehearsals, and everybody except Hask tried to forget about the whole thing. 

“Do you think Bonteri suspects we know?” Del asked Iden one night at rehearsal. 

“No.” Iden shook her head. “Besides, he’s not a murderer.”

”My money’s on Staven and Hask.” Del agreed. “Maybe the Vushans? But don’t tell Seyn.” 

”Of course not.” Iden agreed. Seyn had really fallen for her new friend Sadori. In fact, she’d opened up to a lot of people, and was even invited to a party at the end of the week. 

“I’m worried about her.” Iden said. “And I can’t explain why.”

”She’s become like a sister to you. That could explain it.” Del shrugged, thinking of his own relationship with his brothers.

”Growing up I always wanted a sister, until I realized how much of a hell my life was.” Iden said sadly. “So I wonder where the instincts come from.”

”Even Hask has some brotherly instincts. He just won’t admit it.” They both stood up as their heard the music near their part to play. In rehearsal, they got away with whispering to each other during tacet but would of course never do so on stage for real. 

“Hask? Really.”

”He’d be a heck of an older brother, but the instincts are definitely there.” Del clarified quietly, gripping his mallets unnecessarily tight. Obviously, he was thinking of his own family and it hurt him. Iden frowned but didn’t push anything. One thing she had learned about talking with Del is that if it was too personal it often ended with a flashback. 

Whatever she wanted to say next was lost when she began focusing on playing her part. First timpani had slightly more notes and was a bit more complicated than second timpani but she and Del switched on the last movement anyway, so her arms weren’t completely dead by the end of the symphony.

When rehearsal ended, she was half tempted to go and try to catch Lux and speak to him. But something was holding her back. Maybe it was the fact that he looked so tired and worn down, at least more so than usual.

”Do you think he’s actually even qualified for this job?” Del whispered and she turned around and glared. “He’s a secret agent, Iden! I’m sure you’ve sometimes thought the same!”

”He’s not faking his knowledge of music, I can tell you that. But credentials _can_ be faked. You’re right.”

”Are we still going to try and snag his computer?” Del asked. 

”I don’t think so. Not yet.” The truth was, Iden just didn’t want Del to know what she was planning on doing.

”Let’s get through this next performance first. Also, I can BS my way through the concerto competition-I know how these things work- and then we can start worrying. I still want to somehow enjoy my last year in college.”

”And I respect that. But will your father and Hask allow us to wait?” 

Iden turned, and suddenly all her emotions came flowing out. “I don’t know, Del!” She yelled. “And it’s driving me insane!”

Looking around, Del gently took her arm and made sure nobody else was around. They ended up in a small practice room. It would have been soundproofed if the door shut, but Del didn’t want anything to be assumed and so left it open and spoke quietly.

”I’m sorry, Iden. You know I’m the last person who wants to think about this. I meant what I told your father.”

”Really?” She asked.

”Every word.” Del’s hand on her elbow slid down to her hand and gently squeezed. But on the way down he felt something on her wrists. Before Iden could protest he turned over her wrist and saw all of the scars on it. His eyes widened, and he breathed her name lightly. There was no denying what those scars were.”Iden...”

”It’s nothing.” Iden tugged her arm away. She’d rolled her sleeves up and forgot to let them back down when she was done playing.

”That’s not nothing-“

”It’s nothing. Let’s go home.” Iden said, but Del kept a grip on her wrist, firm but gentle. 

“Del. It’s really okay. I’m alright. These are... old. And I’m not proud of them, okay?” 

As much as Iden looked back on her years of being a teenager, struggling through depression, and thought of herself as weak and ungrateful for doing it, she had almost been begging for someone to talk to about it. 

“I’m sorry. I- I didn’t mean to pry.” Del said quickly. “It’s just that... I’m a very... physical person, I guess.” He stammered and then his cheeks flushed. “Not- not like that.” Then he just stopped talking and scratched the back of his head.

”Let’s go home, Del.” Iden suggested again. “We can talk somewhere else.” 

“We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.” Del was still flustered in an adorable way. 

“No no, I- I think I want to. It’s almost like I’ve been wanting to for awhile. If that makes sense.”

”Yeah. It does.” Del smiled a genuine but sad smile. ”It took me awhile to start talking about my past, to you, but it’s made it better.”

”Hask is just... not the kind of guy I would open up to, you know? And Seyn is just... so young.”

”I don’t think she’s quite as young as you think.” 

“I wouldn’t talk to her even if she were.” Iden went on. When she got into the car she defensively hugged her arms to herself. For a moment, all was silent, until Iden spoke.

”I tried to kill myself when I was fifteen.” She blurted, and Del managed to take it in stride so they avoided an accident. “I-I’ve always had depression. That and addiction runs from my father’s side of the family. Maybe it was just an especially hard day. I don’t know.”

“Sometimes I wondered if I should’ve died.” Del said softly. “Survivor’s guilt, I think it’s called, wondering if you dying could have stopped somebody else from dying. Never acted upon it, but I’ve gotten close to it before. As for scars? Well, I have enough of those without inflicting any of my own.”   
  
Iden believed it. “I know I watched you have a flashback once but... have you been officially diagnosed?”

”PTSD? Yep.” Del popped the word out and stared ahead. “It gets really bad around April and Memorial Day. But enough about me, Iden. I’m not unlocking these car doors until you tell me what’s been bothering you.” 

“Nothing’s been bothering me, Del.” Iden laughed a breathy laugh. “These are all old-“

”You’ve been different since we met with your father.” Del said. “And I know scars, Iden. Some of those are new.”

”Only because I scratched through them.” She murmured. 

“I know you don’t like him.” Del went on. “But did he ever...hurt you?” He had seen her flinch when her father leaned for her. Ever so slight, but it was there. She also did it when he raised his hand to talk. 

“Once or twice.” Iden murmured. “I remember getting a slap in the face for speaking out of turn.” 

“Right.” The car was parked, but Del squeezed the steering wheel tightly, trying to keep his face calm. “That’s not what a father is supposed to do.”

”Yeah, I know.” Iden agreed. 

“Did you talk to your mom about it?”

”Yes, and she won a few more days from it, but that’s all. He threatened her if she tried to get full custody.”

“That’s not right.” Del shook his head. Then, suddenly, he slapped the steering wheel. “That’s not right! You didn’t deserve that. Nobody does!”

”The world isn’t a good place, Del.” Iden reminded him, wondering what would happen if she tried to calm him down. It didn’t matter- nothing happened, soon he was back to normal. 

“Can we take a walk? My legs are falling asleep.” 

“Sure.” 

Iden still crossed her arms over herself as they walked. It wasn’t cold, in fact, it was warm out, just a normal March night. Iden nearly slipped her sweater off before remembering why she wore it in the first place. Eh, what the heck? Del already knew.

She slid the grey sweater over her head and tied it around her waist. Del watched her curiously, though in a respectful manner. Iden noted that he was walking on the street side as if to protect her from any potential dangers.

”I’m ready to listen.” He said, and so Iden talked. She talked about the divorce, and how confusing it had been for her mother to suddenly leave, and how her father would scold her for crying. “Versios don’t cry.” She recalled, even if saying so nearly made her do it. She talked about depression and anxiety and how she probably should have died that day when she was fifteen but had under compensated for how many of the pills she needed to take. Had her father worried about her attempt? No, of course not. He had scolded her further, called her weak and selfish, and then she was without medication because she couldn’t be trusted with it.

”So how did you beat it?” Del wondered, knowing that she needed to get back from the hold she had reminisced back into. 

”Hask realized what was going on with me and started taking care of me behind my father’s back. I’m sure if my father ever found out he would like him as much as my mother does.”

”Any idea why she doesn’t?”

”She always thought Hask was trying to force himself at me. A little extreme, but hey. Teenaged boys, right?”

Del chuckled a bit. “You and Hask seem pretty close.”

”Not like that.” Iden clarified a bit too quickly. “I would never. He’s too much of a brother.”

”As long as he understands.” Del decided.

”That’s the problem. I don’t know if he does!” Iden exclaimed, then realized who she was talking to. “Why am I telling you this?”

”I don’t know. I just want you to get whatever you need to off your chest.”

”I think I’m done, then.” Iden decided. “I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

”I’m a soldier, Iden. Nothing phases me anymore.”

Iden chose that moment to hug him, and Del realized how wrong that last statement had been. The last person to hug him had probably been his mother. Now that it was someone else who he cared about...

He was startled and still hugged back, but that was all. And as he did so he realized a few things: Iden Versio had been abused, physically and emotionally, and had tried, luckily it was unsuccessful, to kill herself. 

And lastly, despite her tough exterior Iden seemed to be touch starved. 

Del was too, in a way. Coming back from war he hadn’t made any new friends or had any brothers left to hug.

“Are you going to be okay?” He whispered.

”I think so.” Iden said, and then gently pulled away. “Thank you, Del. For listening. For... for everything.”

”Of course.” He said, in a daze. Sure, after living her for three months it wasn’t like Del hadn’t noticed Iden. But he’d never thought in a million years that she would hug him. 

Or that he would feel the urge to tell her that he cared for her. That she was loved. That her smile was something he enjoyed seeing and was one of the things that he would think of to get back to sleep after a nightmare. That he would do anything to protect her from her father or Hask or anybody who tried to lay a hand on her.

 _Holy crap,_ Del thought as he watched her climb the stairs and he slowly followed. _I think I’m in love._

Iden smiled as she opened the door.


	16. Conflict

“There’s something that’s been bothering me.” Hask said as they worked together in the library. His class had been cancelled, and Iden was waiting for Seyn’s to finish so they could go home. They were both using the time to study for the exams they each had coming up.

“What’s that?” Iden wondered as she worked to add to her research paper. She hated essays, and writing, and economics. Yet here she was, having to do a bit of all three.

“So. Your father called us agents the other day. Which is fine. I know what he meant by us being agents for this whole secret investigation thing. But how did he know to pick us?”

“I don’t know.” Iden admitted. “I’ve known since I was young that I was nothing more than a tool for him, but now I’m not sure. He knows you through me, watched you grow and supported you like his own son.

”He may know Del because of his military service. I know they’re separate branches, but I’m sure my father has friends who tell him all sorts of things. As for Seyn...” Iden trailed off. “I have absolutely no idea.”

”And you noticed how little he paid attention to her at dinner awhile back. Hardly acknowledged her, almost like she wasn’t there.”   
  
”Del did tell me she spoke to him before they came here. He must have made an opinion of her then for some reason. But as to how he knew her, again. No clue.”

”Is she a family friend?” Hask wondered.

”My father doesn’t have friends. He has _allies_.” Iden corrected. “I’ll see what he says if I ever get around to asking him.”

”You don’t need to do that. I was just curious is all. It’s funny, really. She acts a lot like you. You two could be sisters.”

”You really think so?” Iden wondered. Of course, they’d been mistaken as such before and Iden had to admit she enjoyed the thought a bit.

”I always wanted a sister.” She told Hask. “Until I was old enough to realize that any sister of mine would have the same terrible life I did.” She pressed the enter key on her computer and then a thought hit her. “Seyn _did_ say she was adopted. Maybe my dad knew her real parents.”

Hask opened his mouth to say something more, but Seyn was walking towards them, face giving off a smile. 

“Ready to go?” She asked Iden, bouncing a bit on her heels.

”You bet.” Iden replied, standing up and packing up her backpack. 

”Where are you two going?” Hask wondered, and Iden glanced at Seyn like she was prompting her.

”We’re going to get my driver’s permit.” Seyn said. “So now I can drive legally.” 

“Hmm. Won’t you need a parent to do that?”

”We’ve got it covered.” Iden said even as Seyn’s face fell a bit. Either she was homesick at the thought of her parents or she was just uncomfortable with Hask speaking at her. “I am her big sister after all. Come on, Seyn. Let’s go. We’ll be out of there in time for your party even if there is a line.”  
  
“You didn’t tell him.” Seyn said as they left the library.   
  
“Tell him what?” Iden wondered.

”Where you’ll be going tonight.” Seyn had a grin on her face as she said this, and Iden wondered what was so funny. But then again, Seyn was a teenager. Everything was funny. 

“It’s not a big deal, Seyn.”

”It’s a date.” Seyn insisted, still grinning and bouncing with her steps a bit.

“No, it’s not.” Iden tried to insist, but from the impish grin on Seyn’s face she knew it was no use.

”Del and I are having dinner, Seyn. That is all. Hask would be with us if he didn’t have other plans.”

Seyn just gave her a knowing look. When Iden had told her about the talk she’d had with Del, how personal it was and how sweet and charming Del always was around Iden, Seyn was absolutely convinced that he had a crush on her.

”Do you _like_ him?” Seyn asked, drawing the word out and batting her eyelashes as Iden drove, trying to resist the urge to both give in and smile or kick Seyn out of the car and make her walk.

”Maybe.” Iden shrugged. She was sure she at least liked the man, he was easy going and charming, but also smart and a good listener. And, Iden had to admit, he _was_ quite handsome. Taller than Hask, lean and broad shouldered but not bulky. Iden had no doubt that even without the military training he would still be quite impressive. 

“You’re blushing.” Seyn teased, even though Iden wasn’t. It worked though, and Iden flushed involuntarily.

”I’m not going to talk to you anymore if you keep this up.” She threatened, and Seyn just laughed harder. “You don’t find me teasing you about Sadori.”

”I wouldn’t mind.” Seyn shrugged.

Iden chortled. “Oh yeah you would.”

Their banter and Seyn’s one way gossiping continued for the rest of the car ride and throughout their time in line, stopping only when Seyn had to focus. Iden didn’t care about her car too much, but at the same time didn’t want to see it hurt and made sure that Seyn was focused and in control of the wheel. She’d adjusted the seat just a bit, otherwise she could hardly reach the pedals with the settings long-legged Iden used.

Their “practicing” on the few trips to and from Iden’s mother’s house had done good. Seyn handled the wheel like a champ, and now had her temporary permit to show if there was ever any trouble.

Iden doubted there would ever be problems with Seyn at the wheel.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Hask had told Seyn to use the opportunity tonight to learn more about Sadori if she could, especially with his parents being known Interpol agents. Seyn despised the idea, but once Hask reminded her that Iden may have been in danger she snapped to attention.

 _Little sacrifices,_ she told herself. _It won’t bother too much._

With her eidetic memory, Seyn remembered every word of every conversation she’d ever had- or at least had the ability to recall it. As she rode in the backseat on the way to the party she was going to, Seyn ran conversations she’d had with him in the past. 

“My parents are both Interpol agents.” He had admitted to her in a soft voice. Seyn had feigned innocence and said that was cool, but he must have missed them a lot.

“One of them was always at home.” He explained,”so I wouldn’t ever be left an orphan.” It was solemn and Seyn hated to think like that, but could see why it was necessary.

“I want to be part of Interpol too, when I graduate. My mom’s against it, but I can make my own decisions. I’ll do a few years here before transferring over to their academy.”

It was that conversation that had made Seyn realize that she may really have a crush on him. Iden hadn’t outright teased her about it but Seyn knew she wouldn’t had lasted a full talk.

”Remember, we’ll be back here at 10 to pick you up.” Iden said, and Seyn quickly tried to open the door. 

”I know, I know.”

”You can call us if you need-“ Del began.

”Alright, _dad_!” 

Iden snorted and rolled her eyes at Del’s expression after Seyn left. “You look like you didn’t expect that.” 

”I didn’t.” Del shrugged, but then turned to her anyway. “I thought you said you were going to warn me if I ever got too overbearing!”

”There’s no time for me to remind you. You’re such a dad, Del!” 

“I think I’ll just take that as a compliment.” He decided, holding his chin a bit higher and straightening his back as he drove.

”You know, Del.” Iden said. “You really don’t strike me as being the youngest brother. You’re too protective.”

”I mean, you have to remember I’m the youngest by a couple of minutes. And even then, I was always taller than my twin so everyone got us confused. Even our own family.”

”How did they tell you apart, then?” 

”Honestly?” Del chuckled a bit. “I’m not sure if they did.”

”Would _we_ be able to tell you apart?” Iden wondered next. 

“Just by looks? I honestly doubt it. Seyn might have a shot since her brain is so detail oriented, but I’m not sure.” Del’s face fell, and Iden remembered that his twin, his Elias, was gone forever. So they’d never get to test that theory.

”I’m sorry, Del. I didn’t mean to make you think of him.” 

“No, no. It’s fine.” He said, and was waiting for something to happen. A flashback, a memory- 

But nothing came. Del found it in him to look over at Iden and smile, “so what’s this about you and Seyn being sisters?”

Iden scoffed, “well it started as a misunderstanding, but now people are going with it. People at school are just assuming that Seyn is Admiral Versio’s second daughter. It doesn’t seem to help that my mother has taken to her, too.”

”I want to meet your mother.” Del said. “She seems incredible.” 

”Oh, she is. Multi-talented artist that traveled the world until I was born. And then after her and dad divorced she did it some more. And now she’s sick. But they think we caught it in time, so she’ll get better. I know she will. And she’d like you. I know she would.”

”More than she likes Hask?”

”For sure. She’s bound to like you more when she finds out you like Indian food.”

”I was very disappointed to find there was no Indian or Pakistani places around here.” He glanced at her. “You’d be able to eat Paki food, I think?”

”I haven’t tried it, but if it’s anything like my mom’s cooking, I’d sure like to.” Iden couldn’t resist the grin that came across her face. “My mother makes the best food.”

”Funny thing, so does mine.” 

They both laughed a bit at the joke, and got out of the car when Del parked. “It’s not our preferred cuisine, but I’m sure we can just imagine it’s curry when we bite into it.”

”Agreed.” There was nothing formal about the occasion, but Iden found herself still taking Del’s arm in a manner that seemed more-than-friendly. It was nice to be able to empathize with someone, and be able to talk freely in a way that seemed... more free, than anything.

Del talked about his childhood a bit, being raised in Pakistan until he was ten years old. “I used to have a much more obvious accent.” He claimed, and Iden found herself complimenting it and making both of them flush red. She was embarrassed, he was pleased. Iden’s mind was turning cartwheels at how different speaking to Del rather than Hask was.

”But you’ve never moved from here, have you?” He asked, referring to where they were.   
  
“Yep. Vardosian born and raised.” Iden leaned forward a bit, debating whether she should ask what she was about to. “Del, if you don’t mind me asking... Isn’t it a bit, odd to be fighting in the military in places like Iraq if you’re-“

”From the area?” Del finished, almost like he was used to the question. “No. It isn’t at all. I went back to fight evil. It didn’t matter what it seemed like. Besides, the jokes stopped once I moved up in the ranks.” 

Iden’s stomach tightened. “What kind of jokes?”

”Well, people were quick to assume that the Meeko brothers were fighting on the “wrong side” because of how we looked and the foods we avoided. We’re not even Muslim.” Del shrugged and shoveled another bite of food into his mouth. “We were American citizens, and we were proud to fight for our country, and even die for it.” 

“Sorry, I was just- I always wondered. People liked to assume things about me, too. It’s a common trend.”

”So what else is there to talk about?” Iden wondered. Del saw her phone vibrate on the table, but bit his lip and said nothing. He looked around for a moment until he saw the TV screens of a baseball game in the corner of the restaurant.

”You know what I never understood?” He said, changing the topic. 

“What?” Iden turned in her seat to follow Del’s gaze to the screen.

”American sports.” Del’s face crinkled. “Hask was teasing me about football-I mean, soccer, the other day, and baseball just seems like an easier version of cricket to me.” 

“You mean you’ve never played either of those?” Iden asked, puzzled. Del seemed like the kind of guy to know sports inside and out, if his body was any indication. Not that Iden was looking...“You’ve been in the US for-“

”Ten years before I shipped out, less than a year back.” Del frowned as he watched the crowd erupt in the stands on screen. 

”Hask and I played baseball. He can explain it to you.” Iden said and turned back around. “Del.” She giggled a bit and drew his attention back with a wave. “You’re cute.” It was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

”I’m.... what?” He asked, eyes widening and heart thumping faster.

”I meant- in a- in a sweet kind of way.” Iden tried to recover but only betrayed herself farther.

”Oh. Okay.” His eyes seemed to fall a bit, and Iden immediately felt bad. She moved to say something else but Del’s phone rang. Frowning, he turned it over and saw the contact. His brows furrowed. “It’s- it’s Seyn?”

”What?” Iden asked, amazed. Seyn had called Del instead of her? What was going on? Iden flipped her own phone over and realized that Seyn _had_ called her. _Seven times_ , and she’d not noticed because it was on silent. 

Del held the phone to his ear and struggled to hear over the noise. “Seyn? What’s the matter.”

”Dad?”

Del was immediately alert. Yes, it was usually a joke when Seyn called him that, but they had made a code between the two of them in an emergency. Oftentimes, if you were in a dangerous situation and pretended to be on the phone with a parent, people tended to leave you alone.

”Come get me.” Seyn begged. “I- I don’t feel good. And I’m scared.” 

“Where are you?” He asked.

”I’m safe, but-“ Del heard the unmistakable sound of fighting and _gunfire_ in the background. He stood up quickly, and Iden looked puzzled but followed without hesitation. It had been a buffet, and they’d already paid, so they were out the door. 

“Seyn?” Iden took the phone from Del as he got back in to drive. It had been two hours since they’d dropped her off, and it was almost nine o’clock. “Seyn? I’m sorry I didn’t answer you calls. Just talk to me? Okay? Stay on the phone and talk to me.”

”I- I can’t.” Seyn whimpered. “Sadori- Sadori is-“

”Seyn!” Iden barked. “Stay. Put! We’re coming right now. Just stay calm.”

On the other side of the city, Seyn was _not_ calm. She was hiding while what had been a party had devolved into a shooting. She shouldn’t be here. She was too young- but her friends and Sadori wanted her to come, and Iden had said it was okay as long as she didn’t drink anything. 

She wouldn’t have, anyway. 

Soon she heard sirens outside. Somebody had called the police. 

Iden had said to stay there. Iden was probably more experienced in these kind of situations, so Seyn listened to her. She was so small that her hiding spot was fail-safe.

”Seyn?” Iden’s voice. “Seyn?”

She had dropped the phone, but made no move to pick it up. Suddenly it was as if she couldn’t focus on anything anymore, and she wrapped her arms around her legs, buried her head and began to cry. 

Someone grabbed her.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

”Let me through!” Iden yelled, weaving through the mess of neighbors and bystanders who had gathered to watch the chaos and the police work. When she got to the barrier, Iden’s frantic eyes scanned the lawn, where officers were helping victims, and paramedics were hauling bodies on gurneys and-

“There!” Del spotted her before Iden did. Seyn was seated on the open door of an ambulance, wrapped in a medical blanket. Iden surged forward, but was roughly shoved back by part of the barrier control. 

“That’s my sister!” She protested with the useful lie, and was let through. Del was stopped, and though he wanted to fight, and could probably do a good job of it, he just followed Iden on the outside the barrier and watched her reach Seyn’s side and wrap her in a hug. For a few moments, Seyn didn’t react before she dropped the blanket and hugged her back, wrapping her arms around Iden’s neck and holding her for dear life. 

The gesture made her seem half her age. Based on the expression on Seyn’s face, she may as well been so. 

“Are you hurt?” She asked.

Seyn didn’t respond, but her fingers tapped on Iden’s back. She remembered back to what Del had told her about morse code.

”Seyn, I don’t know morse code yet. You need to talk to me, okay?”

Seyn tapped harder, more urgently, and before Iden knew it she was kicking and hitting her and sobbing. It hurt, but Iden wasn’t about to tell her that. She just gently detached Seyn’s arms from her neck and handed them back to the girl. 

“Can I take her home?” She asked a nearby paramedic. 

“Not until she gives us a statement about what happened.” Said an officer that overheard the question.

”No offense, officer, but I don’t think she’s in any shape to do that, thank you very much.” Iden snapped. “Ask somebody else.”

The officer must’ve been a young rookie, because he cowered a bit at Iden’s words and left, especially when he saw Del scowling at him as he walked towards Iden and Seyn.

”Hey, Seyn.” Del said in a gentle voice but Seyn just turned away and grasped at Iden again. Sighing, Iden let her wrap her arms around her again, like a child who needed comfort.

“She won’t let go of me, Del.” Iden said, but it was strangely cute at the same time even as they worried immensely for her. Del wasn’t paying attention, rather focused on the tapping Seyn was doing on Iden’s back.

”Oh no.” He breathed. 

”What’s ‘oh no?’” Iden asked around Seyn’s head.

”Sadori’s dead.” Del translated. “He was- he tried to stop the shooter and-“ Seyn’s hand closed into a fist at the end of the sentence and pounded into Iden’s back again. 

Neither Del nor Iden knew what was going on with her, but to Del it looked like she was having a mild PTSD episode, while to Iden it looked like a panic attack. Either one made sense, given the circumstances.

”Let’s get her home.” Iden mouthed to Del, who nodded in agreement. 

“Do you need me to-“

”I’ve got her.” Iden insisted. She was already tall, and Seyn may have been fifteen years old but she was the size of someone much younger. She clung to Iden as she carried her away and to the car.

By the time they got home, Seyn had more of the flailing episodes, hitting Iden and herself and the back of Del’s seat with clenched fists. Not knowing what else to do and not wanting to hurt her, Iden just sat back and let it happen. Suddenly, everything made sense. Seyn’s difficulty communicating in certain situations. Her wariness around certain people and her extreme intelligence. And now, this “losing control” meltdown.

But she didn’t voice her discovery. She just let Seyn calm down on her own, and gently ran her hand through the girl’s hair as she buried her head into Iden’s shoulder.

She had fallen asleep, exhausted and hurt by the time Iden carried her to her bed and laid her down. Far from tired herself, Iden walked back out to the living room and saw Del was still there. He looked angry, and his face was that like she had never seen. Righteous anger. Then he made eye contact with Iden and softened ever so slightly. They regarded each other, and then Iden was suddenly in his arms.

They stayed up all night, trying to make sense of what had happened that night, and too worked up to sleep.


	17. Memories

Everyone seemed to know what happened. There was talk of the shooting at school the next Monday, and it put both Del and Hask on edge. Iden was staying home with Seyn, who was yet to say a word since that night. 

“This just isn’t right.” Del shook his head and picked at his food, even as Hask shoveled bites into his own mouth.

“What? You’ve never heard of school shootings?” 

“Hask, I lived in the Middle East. I grew up with school _bombings_.”

”So this is no big deal to you.” Hask continued.

”No big deal? Hask, kids died that night. Seyn’s friend Sadori? Dead. And I’m starting to think it’s connected to something.”

”Like what?”

”Well, Sadori’s parents are on the list. Azen was on the list. Someone’s trying to stir up trouble. It’s not me, and it’s not Iden.” Del sighed. “Where were you that night, Hask?”

”Oh, I was out with some friends.” Hask responded casually. He noticed Del’s determined expression and his own eyes widened.“Wait. You can’t seriously think that I had something to do with it?”

”You’ve been tasked with keeping an eye on Staven. To make him slip up. That was the kind of thing that would do that.”   
  
”So, what? You think I’m a murderer?” Hask wondered.

”No, but don’t blame me for thinking so.” Del said. 

“Look. I know she doesn’t like me as much as you and Iden, but Seyn is still my friend. She’s annoying and arrogant at times, but I would not put her in danger like that.” 

“You sure as hell better not.” Del said with a new vengeance. “Whatever, Hask. So you didn’t stir up trouble at the party, and you didn’t kill Azen. At least, not directly. Have you got anything good to say then? Or are you only reporting straight to Admiral Versio?”

”Staven doesn’t like Lux.” Hask said in response. “They used to be colleagues, worked under the same agent. Name of: Gererra. Then a mission went wrong and they blame each other. Staven used it as an excuse to become extra ruthless. Lux...”

”Not so much.” Del offered.

“With Sadori gone, it could lead his parents to chose a side between Lux and Staven. Something tells me it will not be the peaceful one.” 

“This is interesting.” Del offered. “I’ll mention it to Iden.”

Hask laid his silverware down on the edge of his plate. “So. You and Iden?”

”Well... I think so.” Del shrugged. “We went on-half? Of a date.” He ignored Hask’s look. Was he jealous? Mad? Del didn’t care. It had been a risk to pursue things with Iden, but to be fair both Del and Iden were mad at Hask for lying about their relationship when they had first met.

“How many weeks of school do we have left?” Del wondered aloud. 

”About twelve. Why?”

”Just curious.” 

But Hask realized. Twelve weeks to wreck havoc on these agents who threatened Iden and her father. Lux, Staven and their friends would never suspect it, coming from the people they trusted.

Hask didn’t like to think of himself as a bloodthirsty man, but he did enjoy doing things and doing them correctly. The thrill of the chase? Of creating enemies and putting them against each other? It was almost like something out a movie. Too good to be true. 

He smirked.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>  
  


Iden had insisted on calling Seyn’s parents, if only out of obligation, but still the girl said nothing.

it worried her so much that Iden set out to googling about it, and that made it worse. It wasn’t the end of the world- Seyn was still communicating, albeit very limited- but Iden still had to take care of her much more than she was used to. She had half a mind to take her out to visit her mom. 

“Come on, Seyn.” She said, gently, trying to coax the girl into doing something other than going robotically through schoolwork or staring at the TV. “We need to go do something.”

Seyn just brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, shaking her head vigorously.

Patience was not Iden’s strong suit. She knew Seyn was grieving, but still, this wasn’t healthy. Seyn was skipping meals, just flat out forgetting to eat. The last time she’d said anything was at Sadori’s funeral, and it was only a few polite words to his parents. Even Seyn’s own parents were getting this strange silent treatment.

Iden wasn’t seeking to distract her from grief, but rather to remind her that she was still living, and that people cared about her deeply. At the moment, Seyn wouldn’t even let Del and Hask approach her, even when Del had brought home Seyn’s favorite meal and a new Rubik’s cube as a peace offering (Seyn was always fiddling with his, and had even beaten his record.) Iden saw the untouched puzzle on the desk beside Seyn and picked it up, mindlessly turning it in her hands and beginning to shuffle it. A few moments later, she offered it to Seyn, and the girl got to work. Iden used her moment of distraction to take her laptop and close it, stealing it away to briefly hide it.

“Are you ready to talk about it?” Iden asked when she turned back around. Seyn just silently held out the cube to her again and Iden spent another minute or so scrambling it. Seyn solved it in about 20 seconds, using algorithms she had memorized from watching Del like a hawk.

The cycle continued for several moments until Seyn took the cube, solved it and then set it on the table of her bedside. “I want to go home.” She said, softly.

”We can’t do that, Seyn. Remember what your mom and dad said? They’d like you to finish out the semester.”

“I don’t want to.” Seyn went on. “And I don’t have to. I have time.”

She did, but... Iden didn’t have any power over Seyn. She also didn’t know how to help her. 

“I wish I had never met Sadori.” Seyn went on. “He may still be alive if we hadn’t of been friends.”

”Seyn,” Iden warned. “That’s not a good game to play.”

”How would you know?” Seyn snapped. “You’ve never lost anyone.”

”Not in the same way.” Iden conceded, sitting down beside her. “I lost my mother, except for a few days a month. I lost her smiling face and her laughter.” 

“What if I died?” Seyn said quietly. “Nobody would care, would they?” 

“Yes, we would. I know I would be very upset. And so would your parents, and-“ She was surprised to find Seyn shaking her head. 

“My parents don’t care about me. They were glad to be rid of me. I was too smart for them and they knew it. I heard them fighting about it. They didn’t think I could understand but- they regretted me. They only fostered me for the benefits.”

”I thought you were adopted?” Iden asked.

”Me, too.” Seyn said. “As I said, they didn’t think I understood them. I never told my parents I could understand other languages. Not a lot of people know.”

Iden just stayed silent, not knowing what to say.

”Well, Seyn. For what it’s worth, I would care. I would blame myself if you died because I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. And I tried to force you to go to that stupid party-“ Iden shook her head and clenched her fists.

”It’s alright. You only wanted what was best for me. How would you know that someone was going to have a gun? To get mad over a- a stupid game and start shooting and-“ Seyn winced and Iden saw her get the same look Del did in his eyes when he was experiencing something traumatic.

”I’ll never forget it.”   
  
”Nobody will.”

”I _can’t_ forget it.”

 _Oh_.

”Sadori is dead because of me!” Seyn exclaimed. “And I’ll remember it forever. I can’t unsee it.” Seyn looked up at Iden with tears brimming in her eyes, and for a moment Iden was spooked by how much Seyn’s eyes looked like her mother, Zeehay’s. “Is this what it means to be haunted by your dreams?” 

Iden’s heart broke, but she refused to shed tears with Seyn. “Come on, Seyn. We need to get of the house before you go insane.”

”I look like a mess.” Seyn retorted. “Why would we do that?”

”It’s good for you. When I struggled with- I mean.” Iden stopped. “When I struggled, let’s just say that, I would go for a walk or a run and I always felt better. So, what do you want to do? Walk? Run? Go get something to eat?”

Seyn’s eyes widened and she sniffed and considered Iden’s offer. She was after all staying home from her life to take care of her; leaving Del and Hask to account for her absence. The least Seyn could do was humor her.

”I think...” Seyn began, remembering something new. “I think I want to go for a drive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The foreshadowing is strong with this one.


	18. Brothers

Del and Hask returned home after spending a bit of time in the library to work on their essays. Even though Iden had texted Del to let them know she and Seyn were out, he was still surprised to find the apartment empty. Hask was just happy he found an easy parking space with Iden’s car being gone.

“All right, brother mine. Time for the big game.” Hask plopped down onto the couch and put his feet up, slinging an arm on the back of it. Del took a few minutes in the kitchen to find a snack (seriously, the guy was always eating) and then joined him.

“What’s so significant about this again, anyway?”

“It’s the most important football game in America!” Hask exclaimed. “And I finally have someone to watch it with!”

“Who? Me?” Del said innocently. “I don’t know anything about American football.”

“I know, but- Just watch. I’ll explain everything to you again for a third time.”

“Hey. Last time you explained I had a 104 degree fever. Cut me a break.” Del was a good sport about it, though. He sat there and listened to Hask explain who was who and who did what, and eventually he could make sense of all the different lines displayed with animatronics on the field.

“So what did you do for fun?” Hask wondered during a commercial break. “I mean, you hear about the Army and Navy having their own sports teams, so what about the Military?”

“There were no organized sports, so for fun we’d make our own or recreate things we’ve seen. I’m sure there was some baseball and football and the like on base but I just never joined in.”

“You and your brothers?”

“Yeah. Obviously they didn’t have me and Elias in the same squad and Cade was several ranks ahead of us, but we hung out as much as possible. Had this game we would play when we got our hands on a volleyball.” Del chuckled at the memory. “Oh, we got into so much trouble.”

“Why, what was the game?” Del’s mood was contagious and Hask had a smile on as he asked.

“We called it ‘hit Del’.” Del said. “Because I always won, of course, so they wanted to get me out. Basically it was just a whole ring of us would volley back and forth without it touching the ground or our hands, and then after the third bounce someone caught it and chucked it at someone as hard as they could. If you got hit, you were eliminated. Unless it was a cheap shot, then the person who threw it was out.”

“Define “cheap shot”.”

“Where do you think?” Del replied indignantly. “But it was kind of a rite of passage to be hit there _at least_ once.” Another chuckle. “I may not ever be able to have kids, but it’s okay.”

Hask snorted. “That sounds like dodgeball on steroids.”

”Pretty much, yeah.” Del cast Hask a sidelong glance. “Didn’t you like... give Iden a concussion during dodgeball in seventh grade?”

”Why does everybody know about that!” Hask demanded. 

”I dunno! She holds a grudge.”

”I’ll say....” Hask crossed his arms as the game came back on. 

By the time halftime neared Del was leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, intently watching the players on the screen until his phone rang.

”Hask, we gotta go.” Del said, standing up in a hurry. 

“What?” Hask didn’t budge, just watched Del go into a frenzy trying to put on his shoes. “Del, who was that? What’d they say?”

”Iden and Seyn were in an accident. That was the hospital- apparently neither of her parents answered and I was the last person she’d talked to.”

Hask was a little jealous of that, but worry for his friends soon trampled over the jealousy. Del reached for his keys but Hask stopped him. 

”No. We take my bike, we can get there faster and drive more reckless. Come on!”

Del hesitated a moment. He’d never rode with Hask on his bike before, and the last thing he wanted was another accident. But Hask had a point. It _would_ be faster. 

Hask tossed him a spare helmet and buckled his own under his chin. Del climbed on behind him and they rushed off. 

He had said it would be fast, and reckless, but to Del it didn’t seem to be either. Sure, Hask wove through cars here and there and attempted moves that Del never would, but that was besides the point. A small part of him wanted Hask to teach him how to drive the thing sometime, because it worked. They got to the hospital in record time and practically jogged inside.   
  
“I’m looking for Iden Versio and Seyn Marana.” Del told the desk, and the woman looked on one of her screens. 

“Versio is room 312. Marana was admitted to surgery two hours ago, you will have to wait here.” The desk lady looked up at them from behind her glasses, looking suspicious. “Are you family?”

”Uh, no, but- their families won’t be coming.” Or at least, Del sincerely believed they wouldn’t be. Even if she knew, he doubted Iden’s mother would be able to drive herself here. 

The woman raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else. Hask, however, lunged forward and placed both palms on the desk. “Two hours? They’ve been here two hours and we _just_ found out about it?”

”Hask-“ Del warned, pulling him away and into the waiting room.

”Two hours?!” Hask repeated, and Del grabbed his arm firmer. “Hask. Calm down. You go see Iden.”

Hask didn’t even thank him, just immediately went off and Del settled down to wait for news about Seyn. 

Iden was sitting up when Hask entered but her eyes were closed. Hearing footsteps approaching she opened her eyes. “Del?” She murmured.

Hask stopped in his tracks and clenched his fists. Then he took a step towards her and forced a smile. “No. It’s me. Del’s checking on Seyn.”

”Oh.” Hask could sense a bit of disappointment but didn’t dwell on it too much as he pulled up a chair beside Iden’s bed. “How are you?”

She had a cut in her head that had been sealed with stitches and her left arm was in a sling for a broken collarbone. A few ribs were bruised, but the airbag saved her from further damage.

“Where’s Seyn?”

”She’s in the other room.”Hask lied smoothly. “Del’s talking with her right now, since she doesn’t like me.”

”The airbag...”Iden murmured. “She’s so small. Hask, is she okay?”

”I think so.” Hask prayed it were true otherwise he’d feel bad to lie to her. Sure, he hoped the kid was alright, but Iden was, well, Iden. No other way to say it.

”What happened to us?” Iden wondered.” I don’t remember...”

”You were hit at a four way stop.” Hask read. ”The prick was on their phone while driving and ran his stop sign and hit you from the side.”

”Who’s side?” Iden had to know.

”It doesn’t say.”

Iden’s next words stopped in her throat when she heard the door open and she struggled to turn her head. “Del?”

”Any word on Seyn?” Hask wondered.

Iden’s eyes widened when she watched Del wring his hands as he walked towards them. He looked as if he’d done this before, been the bearer of bad news. Been the bearer of death. 

“No, no.” Iden whispered. “No, no, no, Del-“ Her breath caught, and her body racked with sobs and immediately her ribs began to scream in pain. But Iden welcomed the pain. It brought the tears to her eyes but didn’t let them fall.

”She might wake up.” Del reported, glumly. “There’s a chance, but- It’s slim. Very slim. I uh, I told the doctors about her situation and I was going to call her parents in a few moments. I’m not sure what they’re going to want to do with...her.”

”Hask, hand him my phone please.” Iden told him and Hask dug in the “patient’s belongings” bag to locate Iden’s cell and handed it to Del. He didn’t even pretend to not know her passcode, and Hask raised an eyebrow a bit at that, but said nothing.

”I’ll be right back.” Del sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. “You know, Iden, I really think your father should be the one letting her parents know-“

”Trust me... it’ll be better if it’s you. My father would twist the truth.”

“Alright, Iden.” Del decided and wandered off.

“Do you need anything?” Hask wondered, trying to be helpful for his friend. Iden just sighed and leaned back against her pillows. “I’m a bit hungry.” 

“Alright.” Hask nodded, and stood up to go find something. “What do you want?” 

“I’ve heard bad things about hospital food. There’s gotta be a vending machine somewhere.” 

”One bag of diabetes, coming right up.” Hask said and gave her a playful salute as he exited. He hoped his slight jealousy wasn’t too obvious. But here he was, playing second place to a... to a foreigner who had known Iden for maybe six months. Hask had known her for over six _years._

He passed by Del in the hallways as he went to fulfill his quest. Del watched him pass, noted the gait of his friend’s steps. He was agitated.

”I sent him on an impossible task.” Iden said softly when Del came back in. “There’s no vending machine in this hospital.” 

“Why’d you send him off?” Del inquired. 

“He’s not the best person to have around if you want to have a nice, calm, conversation.” Iden’s uninjured right hand slid across the covers to find Del’s hand.

“This is my fault.” Iden continued. “All my fault. If I hadn’t pressured her into going out...”

Del squeezed her hand gently. “Who was driving?”

Iden’s brow furrowed. “I- I don’t recall. But someone else hit us. There was someone else.” Iden’s eyes brimmed with tears. “She’s so small, Del. The airbag would have- it would have destroyed her.”

“Shh...”Del assured her. “It isn’t your fault.”

”Yes it was, Del. I was responsible for her, and I failed her. I let her down and now she’s- I don’t even _know_ , Del!”

He scooted his chair closer, sensing that she wanted to be closer to him. “Del?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Am I a bad person?” Iden whispered.   
  
”What? No.” Del said immediately. “Of course not.” 

A single tear fell down Iden’s cheek. All she wanted to do right now was to crawl into someone’s arms. Preferably her mother’s. But her mother wasn’t here, now.

She scooted herself, mindful of her injuries, to the edge of the bed. Del understood what she was trying to do and stood up, moving himself so he was sitting on the head of the bed next to her pillow. 

Wordlessly, Iden leaned into his shoulder and sighed as he wrapped his large, strong arms around her, gentle but firm. 

“How long do you think Hask is gonna keep looking for that vending machine?” Del wondered, trying to keep the mood light and only knowing how to make a joke to keep Iden’s mind off of the situation. 

”He’s probably just afraid of coming back empty handed.” Iden said back. “He’s seen me at my worst before. He’s probably gone to a store or something by now.”

Del hummed and held her some more. “Iden?”

”Yeah?”

”I don’t know if this is the right thing to ask but... when you’re released, would you like to go finish up that date?”

”I’d like that.” Iden decided.

Hask returned about ten minutes later, saw Iden and Del with their heads and faces close together, and stopped in the doorway. He wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but it didn’t matter. He’d seen enough. He knew the two of them were involved but, actually seeing it? Them?

He clenched his fists again, half tempted to just drop the bag of food and just leave. But he didn’t. He was a better man than that.

He waited another five minutes before going inside.


	19. Conflict

As planned, Del and Iden ate dinner together the night she was released, after he watched her break down at the sight of Seyn’s broken body as it was readied for transport to a hospital near her parents. Iden tried to be strong to meet the Maranas, and managed to not say anything stupid or off putting outside of the fact that she adored their daughter and was so sorry for what had happened.

They seemed wary of her for some reason that Iden couldn’t place. Maybe they were looking at her and the similarities she had with their daughter and wondering if Seyn would ever get to grow up and look like her. 

On the way back home, Del voiced that opinion as well. “It was almost like they were... scared of you, Iden.”

”I would be too.” Iden shrugged with her good right shoulder. “I’m a monster.”

”I didn’t mean like that.” Del shook his head and started again. “And don’t say that. You did what you thought was right.” 

“They looked at me and told me without words that I should be the one whose lying comatose in a hospital bed.” Iden snapped. “Is that what you mean?” 

Del bit his lip but took the words well. Iden was grieving, she was allowed to be angry. “I’m just saying... Seyn doesn’t look anything like them. Either of them.”

”She’s adopted.” 

“I know, but... do you think it’s kind of odd how alike the two of you look? What if her parents were looking at you oddly for an entirety different reason?”

Too mentally and physically exhausted to think, Iden just shook her head and didn’t respond. “I should’ve known to let her grieve in her own way. Everybody’s different, and I didn’t help things I just- I‘ve killed her.”

”No, you didn’t. Remember, she could still wake up.”

”Yeah, and her parents are gonna let her ring me up and tell me she’s okay? Fat chance.”

Del said nothing, just blew his cheeks out and kept driving. 

Iden’s grief led to her busying herself. Although she wasn’t going to attend classes in person for at least another few weeks (luckily attendance wasn’t part of the grade like it had been freshman year), she worked on her laptop at home. A broken collarbone meant she couldn’t do too much besides that, unfortunately. At least it wouldn’t affect her ability to play piano.

Del, absolute gentleman that he was, became Iden’s self-proclaimed chauffeur and errand runner, no matter what she asked for, from something frivolous like ice cream to something more embarrassing like when she realized she was out of feminine products.   
  
It was hard to go back into her room. She half expected Seyn to be there, too, going on about some physics theory or a calculus equation that led to her pasting pictures and papers all over her wall. 

Some of them were still there. Seyn’s side of the room became like a foreign land where there was a perfectly made bed and a small, organized desk compared to Iden’s cluttered one. 

_And to think that I used to hate the idea of having her around.._. Iden mourned, lying down on her own bunk. She could normally fall asleep quickly as she had trained herself to do, but tonight it was proving difficult. She closed her eyes and dozed for a few hours, and when she shot awake from a nightmare it was 0430 hours.

Del was in the living room. He’d slowly stopped waking up so early and adjusted to a more college friendly schedule, but occasionally he found himself awake early just like old times.

”Hey.” He said, a bit startled to see her up. 

“Hey.” She responded, sitting across from him on the couch. “What’s keeping you up?”

”Oh, uh... nothing much just, remembering old times.” Del placed his mug back down and stood. “There’s coffee left in the pot. Let me get you some.”

”Del, I’m not a big coffee drinker. You know that.” 

“I’ll make you a hot chocolate then.” Del amended and Iden smiled gratefully, melting into the couch and pulling a blanket over her. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask. How’s school been these past few weeks?”

”Fine.” Del said as he came walking back to her.

Iden saw right through him. “Del....”

”Okay, fine. It’s not been great. I’ve been struggling.”

“Struggling how?” Iden wondered. 

“Well it’s... It’s nothing really but I- I haven’t been able to focus.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I’ve talked about survivor’s guilt before, haven’t I?”

He had been referring to himself, but Iden recoiled a bit. “What are you trying to say, Del?”

”No, no- I didn’t mean you.” Del clasped his hands around his coffee mug. “I meant that _I_ have it. And it gets really bad around this time of year, April. I can’t sleep, don’t want to eat, you know. Normal grieving stuff.” He set down his mug and tried to hide his shaking hands. “I think Seyn- I think it triggered it early.”

”You?” Iden demanded. “How?”

He shook his head. “You.... you don’t understand.”

Iden crossed her arms. “Try me.” 

“When I... when I was a soldier I had a duty. A responsibility to keep the men in my squad alive. And I failed. I failed so many times. Not just Elias but all the other boys too. Because it broke me. They train us to be ruthless machines but to be completely honest with you- we were scared. But I was more afraid of failure than anything else. Then after that day, I felt like I had nothing left to lose.”

Iden listened. The more Del explained, the more she wondered if losing Seyn would have her feeling like this one day.

“When I met you guys, you and Hask and Seyn, you three became my squad. My family. I have a duty to protect you. And I would not hesitate to lay my life down for any one of you.” Del’s hand came down with authority on his knee and it startled her a bit. “I failed Seyn when she and Sadori got attacked at that party. And I failed her again. But I didn’t just fail her, I failed _you_.” 

“Oh, Del...” Iden trailed off as she watched Del bury his head in his hands. “No you didn’t, Del. Not at all.”

There was suddenly a noise outside. Iden had never really noticed it before, but there were often low flying planes and helicopters taking off. They made a sound like thunder, and Del’s head shot up, eyes wild. “No-“ He said, strangled all of the sudden. It appeared that he’d never noticed it before either. But here, now, reliving trauma and barely holding back the flashbacks, all Del could hear was the sound of aircraft in the sky, bearing enemies and artillery and-

“Bombs.” Del breathed. His hands shook harder and the mug of coffee slipped from his hands and shattered on the floor. That new sharp noise made him jump. 

“Del?” Iden asked. She leaned forward and grabbed his shoulder. “Del? Hey. Look at me.” 

“What are you doing, soldier!” Del yelled, looking straight at her. Only, he wasn’t. Del saw a desert, and one of the men in his command foolishly sticking their head into the line of fire. “Get down!” 

“Del, it’s me!” Iden ignored the pain in her shoulder and reached for Del’s hands, gripping his wrists firmly and with authority. Her heart was pounding. It had been months since the last time Del had had a reaction like this. He really was delicate. No, delicate wasn’t the right word. Del was just...scared. Jumpy. On edge. 

_Post Traumatic Stress Disorder._ Iden heard in her mind as she struggled to calm Del down. She’d heard terrible stories- men attacking their family members if they woke them up wrong, violence, suicide....

No. Del would never hurt her. Ever. 

But he was bigger than her, and taller than her, and much, much stronger than her. Still, Iden didn’t let go as Del struggled, his eyes slowly turning back to normal and he realized where he was. Who he was with.   
  
“It’s alright, Del.” Iden whispered. “You’re safe. You’re alright.” She reached up her hand to Del’s cheek and he leaned into it a bit. This hadn’t been much, only a few moments, but to Del he had relived an entire war. Iden was a bit startled when he sagged against her, body raking with sobs. 

“I’m sorry.” He gasped. “I’m so sorry.”

Over the past few weeks, Del had been there for her, to hold her when she needed it, and now he needed someone else to do the same. “Come here.” Iden said, and pulled Del against her. He obliged, but was mindful of her delicate shoulder and kept his head on the other side of her chest. 

”Something’s about to happen, Iden.” He whispered. “I don’t know what.”

”Just be quiet for now,” she coaxed. “Try to sleep.”

Del obeyed, closing his eyes. Iden ran her hands through his hair until he heard him begin to snore softly. Even though she wasn’t going to be able to sleep anymore, at least Del was. 

Almost against her will, Iden yawned. Del made a face in his sleep and stretched, his legs straightening and hanging over the other side of the couch that he was much too big for.  
Iden was a bit surprised to feel his arms wrap securely around her. 

_Something was about to happen_ , Del had said.

A part of Iden hoped he was right. Something needed to happen. She was done with having things hang over their heads. 

And she knew what she had to do.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“I know who you are.”

Lux Bonteri looked of from his papers and sighed. He recognized Iden’s voice, but was not prepared to look up and see her in the state she was in. 

Iden’s hair was up behind her head, but her usually neat hairdo was loose and several small hairs sprang from it. Her eyes had bags worse than Lux’s own, and her left arm was still in a sling. 

“I know who you are.” She repeated. “You and everybody else. I don’t know what you’re doing here, and why you’ve been watching me, but I want it to stop.”

He cringed a bit at her choice of words but let it go. “Let’s take a walk.” He offered. There were better places to talk than in a crowded, noise amplifying office.

“Fine.” Iden huffed. 

Lux walked on her left side, facing the middle of the hallway to prevent Iden from being jostled by the crowd. Not that there was one now. “You’re still in the sling? Hasn’t it been long enough yet?”

”Yeah but, I heard it again. Del, uh... he accidentally-“

”He didn’t hit you, did he?” Lux interrupted, and Iden’s eyes narrowed as she turned to face him. 

“No! Del would never. He just had a bit of a flashback is all, and I ended up holding him. We slept together and I- woah. Never mind.” Iden blushed at another poor choice of words. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. Really.” 

They stopped by one of the on-site cafes and got drinks and sat down on a bench. 

“Will you be able to play again?” He wondered, gesturing to her arm. 

“Tried this morning. Hurts a bit, but I’ll be fine. Del and I will probably be switching timpani parts, though. I can still manage the church bells, I think.” 

“And your competiton?” 

“Haven’t thought about it.” Iden sighed. “I’m going to try and go through with it, though.” 

“That’s... good.” Lux said. Then he paused for a few moments to try out the words he was about to say. “I do owe you an explanation. About who I am.” Lux continued. “I’ll start by saying that I’m not American.”

”I know. You’re from Onderon. You’re French.” 

“Swiss.” Lux corrected. “And a quarter Japanese but that’s besides the point-“

“You’re with Interpol.” Iden went on.

He heaved a sigh. “Yes. I am.”

”And so is Staven. And Sadori’s parents and- I swear, Lux. If I find out that you had anything to do with Sadori’s death I will never, ever speak to you again. I may even kill you, too.”

”I would never.” Lux assured her, annoyingly unfazed by the threat. “I couldn’t do that to Ru and Halia. Sadori was like everyone’s nephew, you know. Reminded me of my boy.”

”Your boy?” Iden wondered. “I thought you had a daughter. Redia.”

”I had a son before that. Passed away before I truly even met him.” 

“I’m sorry.” Iden whispered.

”Me too.” Lux heaved another sigh and wiped his face. “And I’m sorry about Seyn.” 

At her name, Iden gripped the cup in her hand a bit too tightly, and only the fact that some of the liquid spilled caused her to loosen her grip. “What have all of you been doing here? My father seems to think you’re up to no good. We’ve been spying on you. Reporting things back.” 

Lux’s lips pursed.   
  
”But don’t worry. Only Hask took it serious enough.” 

“Hask.” Lux took a sip of coffee and scoffed. “He and Staven... god, between the two of them I was half expecting to get busted.”

”Busted for what?” Iden wondered, an eyebrow raised.

”Azen.” Lux said. 

“No.” Iden breathed in disbelief. She turned almost sideways to see him. “Did you kill him?”

”Me? No. Last I heard Staven was dragging him off, Hask was along with him. Del may have been there, too.”

 _Del_?

”Are you sure?”

”No.” Lux shook his peppered head of hair. “But my memory isn’t what it always was. I was supposed to retire a few years back, but then I got my assignment here. I couldn’t refuse. It was right after the divorce and you just... you reminded me so much of Redia. I had to protect you.”

”Protect me?” Iden scoffed. “From who? Actually, wait. Don’t answer that. I have to know something first. Are you...are you even _qualified_ to teach music theory? Orchestra?”

Lux chuckled a bit, leaned back and began to laugh. “That’s your big question?” 

“Just answer me. Please.”

”I am. I got my degrees simultaneously while going through training. Difficult, but I was never much of a sleeper anyway.”

“And you don’t know who killed Azen?” Iden reiterated.   
  
“No. All I can tell you is that we suspected him of being a double agent, brought him in for questioning. I walked out before it began. My guess is one of the guys killed him. Made it look like an accident.”

”Do they teach you how to kill someone in training?” Iden scoffed. 

“Some people. We all have our specialties.” 

”Oh really? What’s yours?”

”Infiltration. Deception. Negotiation. Anything that uses words.”

”I see.” Iden pretended like this all made sense. “So why me?” 

“Why what?”

”Why am I your... assignment. Why did you decide to “protect” me. How am I in danger?”

”There’s an underground operation. Worldwide. Deals in everything from arms to trafficking to drugs. We only call it “the Empire.”

”What. So it’s like the mafia?” Iden laughed. 

”Yes.” Lux said, deadly serious. “And they seem to be targeting you.” 

”I have never received a death threat in my life.” Iden said. “You’ve got to be joking.”

”I’m not. The reason no one’s after you is because your father’s involved in it. He’s the one who’s targeting you. Trying to get you dragged into it as well. Hask and Del, too. Though I suppose Hask is already there.”

”Yeah.” Iden said softly.

”So there’s everything.” Lux said. “Who I am. Why I’m here. What I’m doing.”

”What’s your goal?” Iden wondered. “To what, stop my father and this “Empire”? How do you plan to do that.”

”We would like to arrest him.” Lux said. “But I don’t know if that will ever be possible.” 

“I never liked my dad.” Iden gritted her teeth. “But I can’t see him doing something like this.”

”I understand.” Lux nodded, and Iden wanted to yell that there was no way he could understand. But, then again, Lux Bonteri’s life was anything but boring, if what he was saying is true. “You’re his daughter. You have to see the good in him.”

Iden wanted to argue. To say that there was no good in Garrick Versio. But she needed to leave before she did something she regretted. She had her answers, so anything else would be extra chit chat that she did not want to have.

“Thank you for telling me.” Iden decided, and stood up from the bench. The more she thought of it, the more she began to boil over with anger. “I’ll be back in class next week. Please don’t talk to me anymore than you have to.”

”Iden....”

”I’ll play your stupid little game.” Iden raised her voice. “But I will not be a pawn. You wanted to protect me from my father? Where were you seventeen years ago when he ran my mother out of the house? Ten years ago when he beat me? Seven when I tried to kill myself?”

Lux opened his mouth to defend himself, but Iden was ready with a sucker punch. “It’s no wonder you couldn’t win custody of your daughter. You’re a failure of a man! A failure of a father!” 

She stomped off, and Lux watched her go. Somehow, in the last few minutes it was as if he had aged another ten years. He had prepared himself for Iden to take this wrong, but her words at the end? Totally unpredicted. And they hurt.

Iden slipped her phone out from her pocket and pressed the button to stop the recording. Did Lux know he was being taped? Probably so. But part of Iden wanted to believe that he didn’t even for all his training and years of being a secret international police officer.

She’d go over this with Del and Hask later. Some parts would be hard. She’d have to double check their alibis and see if she had reason to believe that Del and Hask may have killed Azen. If they had, she would have to decide what to do. 

As for the allegations against her father?

Iden would have to do some more digging.


	20. Zeehay

“I don’t know what to do.” Iden put her head in her hands. “I can’t show my father this, even if it’s exactly what he wants.”

Del and Hask sat on either side of Iden at the table, the meal Del had made finished and off to the corner. Then, Hask spoke.

”Why not?”

”I know I should, but if he’s the criminal everybody thinks he is I’m afraid he may send people after Lux.” 

“And?”

”Not everyone deserves to die just because they’re your enemies, Hask!” Iden exclaimed, and he recoiled at her tone. 

“And it incriminates us.” Del pointed out. “Lux thinks you and I may have helped kill Azen. I know for a fact I wasn’t there, seeing as I was with Iden. What about you, Hask?”

“I was here at the apartment, remember? Iden and I were watching the news when they found his body.”

”Yeah but...”Del brought something up on his laptop. “Statements say he had been dead for awhile before he was found. Where were you earlier that day?”

“At home.” 

Del looked like he didn’t believe it for a second, but he also couldn’t bring himself to believe that he was rooming with a killer. 

“Update, guys.” He found. “It looks like- based on the website Seyn gave me,- Sadori’s parents resigned. They won’t be around anymore. With Azen gone, that leaves just Lux and Staven.”

”And they despise each other.” Hask pointed out. “Staven likes to go on long rants about how terrible Lux is. Based on what Iden’s told us it seems like Lux is close to bailing on this whole operation as well.”

”He won’t.” Iden insisted. 

“You really think he’s serious about your dad, huh?” Hask asked, and Iden nodded. 

“I have no doubt that my dad is up to suspicious stuff, but now I just know to avoid it. Like I’ve always done.”

”You haven’t talked to him since Seyn....” Hask trailed off. “Has anything changed?”

”No. No, I don’t think so. But I’m just going to ignore him. We don’t have much longer to go in this semester and I am going to try not to worry about anything except my exams. Fair?”

The two men shrugged. “Fair.”

”I’m going for a walk.” Iden said after that, and stood up to leave. 

She’d always known her father was a questionable man. But to go as far as to do some of the things he was accused of? Iden couldn’t believe it. 

At least she could relax and just finish school like she wanted to. 

What upset her the most about her father right now was that he definitely knew what had happened to Seyn. Had he checked on Iden? No. Part of her also believed that he hadn’t even spoken to her parents like she had.

Iden put in her earbuds and started her music as she began to walk, after a few moments, she changed her mind and called her mother.

“Mama?” She asked when she heard the phone pick up.

”Iden!” Zeehay answered. “I was wondering when you would call. It’s nearly an hour past our normal time.”

”Yeah, I know, but uh... something came up is all.”

A pause on her mother’s side. “Anything I can help with?” 

It was as if her mother wasn’t fighting cancer. Wasn’t going through treatments that left her sick and weak. She still wanted to care for her daughter, fix any problems she may have going on.

”I know you don’t want me to, but I would really like to come over and see you.” Iden’s lower lip trembled, and she hoped her mother couldn’t hear it.

”Iden, I really don’t-“

”Please?” Iden whispered, almost a whimper of a plea.

Zeehay must’ve heard the tremor in her daughter’s voice, because she immediately changed her mind. “Iden? What’s wrong?”

”A lot of things, mama. I just, I really, really need to talk to someone who might understand me right now. I’m coming down right now.”

”Okay. Come right in.”

Iden hung up and headed back up the steps to the apartment, hoping her face wasn’t too red from being upset. 

“That was fast.” Hask commented when she came back in.

”I’m going to see my mother.” Iden announced, stuffing things into her bag. “I don’t know how long I’ll stay, but I need to spend some time with her. Get away from this.”

”Are you sure you’re alright to drive?” Hask asked, but Del was already reaching for his keys. 

“C’mon, Iden. Let’s go.” Del held open the door for her, and she didn’t even protest.

”Are you going to talk to her about Seyn?”

”And my father.” 

“Do you think she will like me?” Del asked next.

”Um... Actually Del, I don’t know if you should meet her just yet.” Iden said cautiously. “I mean, she hardly lets me over anymore and I just... I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Iden paused. “I hope that’s not the only reason you drove me.”

”No, no it isn’t. I just want to make sure you get where you’re going safely. It’s late, on a Friday. Lots of crazy drivers.” 

Iden chuckled, but appreciated the sentiment. “Okay, Del.”

They chatted on and off for the hour long drive, talking about anything and everything like they always did. When they finally pulled up to Zeehay’s house, Iden leaned over to hug Del before walking up to her mother’s door. She turned back to Del and waved as she entered and locked the door behind her.

The soft smell of air freshener floated throughout the house, and Iden found her mother in her room, reading on top of her bed. “Hi, mom.”

“Iden.” Zeehay opened her arms and Iden flew into them, squeezing gently. She’d missed this. The last person to hug or hold her had been Del, and before that, it was... Seyn.

”Mama.” Iden whispered. 

“What’s the matter, dear?” Zeehay asked, gently rubbing Iden’s back. “What did you need to tell me?”

”It’s...” Iden’s eyes settled on a picture her mother had hung up. One of her most recent ones. It was Iden, of course, and Seyn next to her. They looked like sisters. They looked so happy. 

“Seyn is- She’s gone, mama.” Iden whispered, and broke down. 

“Seyn?” Zeehay echoed, voice wavering like Iden’s. “Little Seyn?” It was an endearing term, not offensive, just proof that Zeehay had begun to think of her as a daughter alongside Iden.

“She’s gone, and it’s my fault!” Iden exclaimed through tears. 

Using what strength she had, Zeehay coaxed Iden up onto the bed and into her arms, holding her close like she was still a little girl. Iden would _always_ be a little girl, in Zeehay’s eyes. 

“Tell me what happened.”

Taking a deep breath, Iden began. She told her mother about the crash, how it had broken her collarbone and destroyed Seyn’s body. 

”What did your father say?” Zeehay asked softly.

“Nothing.” Iden grit her teeth, and her mother held her closer. “Like he even cares about any of us. Is it true, mom?”

”Is what true?”

”Is he really a member of this... I don’t even know what to call it. A mafia? A mob?” Iden’s voice lowered, as if afraid her father could hear her even now. “Is that why you left him?”

”Part of it, yes.” Zeehay sighed. When Iden turned away from her, asking silently, she began to take Iden’s hair out of the bun she always wore, gathering pins in a pile on her bedside table. Next she began to brush Iden’s long, black hair, just like she was when Iden was a child.

“I don’t feel anything, mama.” Iden admitted. “It’s been two weeks, and I’m still numb. And hurting. And I don’t have many people to talk to.”

”Have you thought about a counselor? I talk to someone about my treatments. It helps.”   
  
Del had suggested the same thing, saying how talking to someone had helped him transition back into normal life and learn how to keep his PTSD under control. Iden said she would consider it. “I’ll think of it. You aren’t the first person to suggest it.”

”Oh? Who else has suggested it?”

”My...friend, Del.” 

Zeehay caught the hesitation in Iden’s voice and tugged her hair gently so Iden turned her head. “Iden? What’s this hesitation? Are you hiding something?”

”Okay, fine. We’ve gone out a few times.”

”And when were you going to introduce him!” Zeehay exclaimed, being a bit rough with the last two strokes of Iden’s hair.

“I thought you would want to wait until you’re better!” Iden shot right back. Her mother was slipping in and out of both of their languages, and Iden was responding in heavily accented English to communicate her mood.

”Yes, but-“ Zeehay cried. “This is your boyfriend we’re talking about!”

”Okay, mom.” Iden rolled her eyes. “He’ll be picking me up, so you can see him then.”

”You didn’t drive yourself?” She asked. 

“My shoulder still hurts a bit when I drive. And I don’t have a car but we’re filing a claim for insurance to get some money for a new one.”

“When he comes back, I’m meeting him.” Her mother declared. 

“Okay.” Iden knew there was no changing her mother’s mind. She just hoped Del was ready. 

“How are you, mom?” Iden asked, turning around fully to face her again and take her hands.

”It’s hard.” Zeehay admitted. “Right after the treatments it almost leaves you feeling like you’ve got morning sickness or something. I hadn’t felt that way in a long time, obviously.” Her eyes narrowed playfully at Iden. “And you won’t know what it’s like for a long time, either.”

”Alright, mom.” Iden rolled her eyes, knowing this was the beginning of many more jokes like it. ”But you look good. Your hair... it’s still long. It’s still here.”

”Not every cancer patient loses their hair. I may just be getting lucky.” 

“It’s not a matter of luck, mom. You’re strong. You’re so strong, more than I could ever be.”

”That’s not true.” Zeehay scoffed. “You’ve survived with your father for longer than I did.”

”That’s because most of my life I was away at whatever school he’d picked for me.” Iden thought about something Hask had said once. _I don’t dislike your dad, Iden, but I do find it difficult to imagine ever being married to him._ Iden shared the sentiment.

“And you’re dealing with him now. With his... crazy agendas and whatnot. I know what you think of them, but know I _have_ to support him, he was my husband and your father.”

”You told me in the beginning that you wouldn’t respect me anymore if I didn’t go along with him.” Iden said. “What changed?”

”Even I never realized how far your father would go. And with everything going on, with school and Seyn...” Iden was startled to see her mother once again hide a sob at the sound of the girl’s name. “I think you’re doing just fine.”

Iden relished the praise. She relished praise from anyone, really, but especially from her mother, the only parent who ever truly loved her right now. 

“You should go to sleep, mama.” Iden said, catching the time on the bedside clock. 

“How long are you staying?” Zeehay asked, settling into the pillows and blankets that Iden coaxed her into. 

“Well, technically I don’t need to ever show up at school again except to take finals. And I-“ she hesitated. Would she tell her mother about the row she had with Lux? “I’m too hurt to play in orchestra for awhile. I can stay here for as long as you want me to.” 

Her mother hummed softly. Iden found herself yawning and sliding down onto the bed beside her. Zeehay pulled her daughter close and softly singing lullabies in her ear as she fell asleep.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

”Oh, Iden’s not going to be happy.” Hask said when Del walked into the apartment a few days later. For one thing, Del was tracking mud as he had been too excited to take off his shoes at the door. The reason?

”Look what I found, Hask!” Del crowed with delight and held up- 

-a puppy.

”Oh, hell no.” Hask said instantly. “Put that thing back outside!”

”He was just wandering the side of the street, all alone.“Del pouted. “I had to help him.” 

“I don’t care. Iden won’t care.” Hask ran a hand down his face. “Put him back.” 

“Just ignore him, Dio.” Del told the puppy, who wagged his tail weakly. 

“You _named_ it!” Hask exclaimed.

”I worked alongside canines in the military. They didn’t really have names, but designations. We named most of them anyway. So this here is ID-10. Dio.”

”You think you’re going to be able to train that thing?” Hask asked. 

”For sure.” Del leaned down and set Dio on the floor. He stumbled about a bit on clumsy legs. “I doubt he’s much older than eight weeks.” 

“I don’t care how old he is,” Hask stepped away from the puppy’s advances. “He’s going to be out of here before his first birthday!”

”Bet.” Del said, taking off his shoes and tossing them beside the door. “Come here, Dio. C’mere, boy!”

Dio slid across the wood floors into Del’s feet and yipped slightly. “What kind of breed do you think he is?”

”Don’t care.” Hask was back to watching TV.

”I’m thinking black lab or border collie.” Del went on. “Come on, buddy, let’s get you cleaned up. Mean old Hask doesn’t think you belong here but I’m about to show him why dogs are man’s best friend.”

 _Oh great, he’s baby talking it._ Hask grumbled. “I’m not cleaning up after it.” 

”I didn’t say you have to. I’m going to have him house trained by the time Iden returns.”

”Oh, really? Now that I will bet real money on. Twenty bucks.”

”Make it double.” Del agreed, holding Dio in one hand as he cleaned him in the sink. “You’re not gonna let me down, are you, boy? You already know your name after all.”

”And just where were you planning on letting him sleep?” Hask wondered, as questions came across his mind from what little he knew about pets.

”In our room.” Del said casually, just to get a kick out of Hask’s reaction.

”No!” Hask whirled again, glaring at Del and the dog. His face changed a bit, though. He had to admit ‘Dio’ looked kind of cute when he was all wet and waiting to be dried off. Hask noticed there was a small white star on his chest.

”I never had a dog.” He told Del.

”Oh, they’re wonderful. I trained my family’s dog to do all sorts of neat things. He could open doors and fetch things, and fended off people trying to get my mom while she was walking alone.”

”Whatever happened to him?” 

“We had to leave him behind when we fled to the states. He’s probably long gone by now, the old boy.”

Hask tossed him a towel and Del wrapped Dio in it. “I’m going to put one of those little bells by the door and teach him to ring it anytime he needs out.”

”You have fun with that.” Hask said, looking upon the comical sight of Del holding the dog like a baby, nothing but his little head sticking out of the towel he was wrapped in.

”Iden’s not gonna even notice he’s here.”

”Iden may break up with you for this.” Hask countered, and Del looked the least bit worried, but only for a moment.

”Alright, Dio.” Del said, carrying him to the door and setting him down. He pulled the aforementioned bell from his pocket and set it down. ”Here’s what you’ve gotta do...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wonder why Zeehay’s so upset about Seyn? Also yay Dio’s here we love that.


	21. Zeehay

With Iden choosing not to attend classes or rehearsals, Del got used to covering for her. He always claimed that she was still too hurt to play, or still grieving and unable to work anywhere but from home. He always made it very clear that she was not just skipping. No, Iden had become absorbed into her work until going to visit her mother, who she had promised to introduce Del to when he finally came and picked her up.

Dio the new puppy proved to be a welcome distraction. He'd taken up most of Del's free time, and even some of Hask's, though the younger man would never admit it. Del even found him asleep with Dio on his chest once. In the five days that they'd had him, he'd somewhat mastered the idea of the bell meaning he got to go outside and his only accidents had been when Hask was too slow to take him out. 

"Here we go buddy,” Del knelt down to show the puppy his new collar. Dio sniffed it a few times, then wagged his tail and sat, ready for Del to put it around his neck. 

"See, look how smart he looks."Del told Hask, who grunted in return. 

"Does this mean we're going to use a leash?"

"Until he learns not to try and run." That was the one skill the little puppy was yet to manage. He had four giant paws that impeded his ability to walk, but that didn't stop him from trying to explore any and all of the great outdoors. If it weren't for the color of his fur, Del was pretty sure he would have lost Dio by now. 

While Hask worked on his term paper, Del was seated on the floor in the living room, trying to teach Dio to sit and roll over on command. It was mostly working, but Del found himself focusing on the puppy's big, white-sock covered paws- if they were any indication of how big he'd be full grown, they may find the apartment a little crowded one day.

"Oh, hey." Del said when he heard his phone beep with an alert. “Iden’s ready to come home.”

“Really?

“Yeah.”Del a ran a hand through his hair as if it wouldn’t get messed up in the trip over. “Any tips on meeting Ms. Versio?”

“Well, you’re not me so you should be okay. Other than that I’m not too sure. She just doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

Del wondered what Hask could have ever done to deserve Iden’s mother’s wrath, but then thought of what Iden had mentioned and what he’d seen of his temper. Plus, Hask wasn’t always the most...respectful towards authority. Unless, it seemed, it was Admiral Versio.

“You gonna be alright here with Dio?”

Hask gave the dog a glance. Dio was currently attacking a chew toy Del had gotten him, the kind where you could hold on it for tug of war. Which was fun, up until the point Dio got you with his sharp puppy teeth, almost like a little jolt of electricity.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine. I’ll remember to let him out this time.” It was a joke now, but it still kept Hask hyper-vigilant about doing well to pay attention. 

“And remember to feed him.” Del reminded his friend.

“Yes, that too. Get out of here, Del.” 

Dio whimpered when he saw Del grab his jacket. He was smart enough to know what it meant, and also knew he wasn’t going with him. He whined again, and then, when Del was gone, laid right back down and got to work on the toy again.

“I think the kid would have liked you.” Hask said, looking at him a moment. Dio cocked his head as if curious, and Hask clarified. “The kid. Seyn.”

Dio just blinked at him, and Hask sighed and went back to his work. _What’s wrong with me? I’m talking to a dog…_

The truth was, in an odd way, he missed the fourth member of their “squad”. Sure, she hated him, but it was cool to have her around if only to see Iden happy. He had found it a bit odd how Seyn had come to be part of their group, and how Admiral Versio was suspiciously dormant in wake of her loss. Almost as if he’d not expected her to last.

Very odd indeed. Hask still hadn’t figured out where the girl even came from in the first place. Now he never would.

He shook his head to clear his mind and stood up to take a break, walk around and grab a snack. When he walked to the kitchen, Dio trotted over and sat at his feet, looking up at him.

“Del’s got you trained a little too well, hasn’t he?”Hask asked, munching on some pretzels. “It’s not time for you to eat, yet.” He did drop a few pretzels though, and Dio was more than happy to clean up after him. Was it Hask’s imagination, or had he already grown some?

He was just about to sit back down when Dio rang the bell to go outside.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Iden cooked alongside her mother in the kitchen. Zeehay had insisted on preparing a meal to meet her daughter’s _boy_ friend (she would not stop teasing, but was absolutely delighted). Even more so when Iden had informed her that Del was one who would enjoy typical Indian food, no matter how spicy. They set out to make her famous chicken curry, using vegetables from the backyard garden.

“Here mama, I’ve got it.” Iden stepped in beside her mother to relieve her of mincing some vegetables. “You go make sure I don’t burn the rice.”

“You would.” Zeehay agreed, still trying to hide her shaking hands. It was probably a good thing she was here after all, because she wanted this meal to be impressive. As a mother it was her duty to prepare a meal for any possible future son-in-law. “But I don’t want you getting blood in the food either.”

Iden just rolled her eyes. Her mother somehow remembered all the little cooking mishaps she’d ever had, including nearly slicing her own finger off when she was ten years old and using a sharp kitchen knife for the first time.

“He’s going to be disappointed if you ever cook for him.”Zeehay teased, and Iden looked over her shoulder to shoot her mother a look. 

“Actually, he quite enjoys my cooking.” Albeit, it was mostly because Del would eat anything and everything except pork because he spent so much time consuming army rations. “Seyn would have too.” Iden said sadly.”You never got to cook for her.” 

Zeehay shut the oven on the chicken that was cooking and sunk into the nearest chair.”No, I didn’t.”

“You could always cook for Hask instead.” Iden said lightly, but Zeehay didn’t seem to hear enough to make a snide comment back.

“Mama?” 

“She just reminded me so much of you.” Zeehay said, shaking her head. 

”People at school called us sisters. I’ve been getting condolences from people I’ve never met but they knew Seyn.” Iden finished her task and sat beside her mother. “I know it’s strange, but I _did_ think of her like that. I just remember when she got was so scared after her friend Sadori died- she clung to me, mama. Like a baby.”

”I’m sure her parents are taking care of her. Have you heard anything?”

”No. Her parents looked at me like it was my fault. Well, her father did. Her mother just looked at me with something like pity.”

Zeehay mumbled something softly. Iden patted her hand and then stood up. “Are you okay to stay here and watch the food? I’m going to go wait for Del.”

”Yes, dear. Go ahead.”

Iden made sure to take care of all the food up to the point that her mother was simply putting it all together. After everything was combined, she needed to sit awhile, anyway, so the curry could form. With a last smile to her mom, she went outside to the yard. 

Her mother’s closest neighbor was miles away, and the landscape was an aesthetic that Zeehay appreciated both as an artist and a retired mother. In the yard was evidence that Iden had once been young here. A tree house, and a swing occupied one tree, and she trusted the integrity of the tree enough that she still swung gently on it even now, two decades later. Over the past few days, she’d been puzzling over her mother’s grief of Seyn. She was mourning her almost like she had Iden when she had tried to kill herself those years ago. She’d met Seyn twice? Maybe three times? But Zeehay Versio acted like it was much longer. 

Her musing was interrupted when she caught Del’s silver forerunner turning into the long driveway. Iden stood as if to meet it, glad to see such a welcome sight. He hardly stepped out of the driver’s seat before she’d slid her arms around him, taking comfort in his strong features.

”I take it you missed me?”

”Terribly. Hask isn’t a very good cuddler.” Del said sarcastically with a grin. He almost wanted to tell her about Dio right here, but didn’t. “I’m guessing your mom’s inside?”

”She’s cooking her famous chicken curry, spiced slightly with a fresh hint of Iden blood.” She displayed a bandaid on her thumb, an injury which she’d hidden from her mom, and Del chuckled a bit. “I can’t wait.” His stomach punctuated the statement with a rumble. Suddenly serious, he took her hands gently. “How’s she doing?”

”Better, now that she knows you’re coming around.” Iden responded, and Zeehay chose that moment to appear in the doorway and see them together. Del quickly dropped Iden’s hands and stiffened with the poise of a soldier. He was all ready to introduce himself, but Zeehay beat him to it. 

“Del!” She exclaimed, beaming. “Iden has told me so much about you!” Offhandedly, she whispered to Iden in their language “he’s tall. I like him.” 

Iden wrapped her arms around one of Del’s “strong, too.” She replied, and Del just smiled politely.

”And I have sure heard very nice things about you as well, Ms. Versio.” Del carried on the conversation. “Especially your cooking. I’ll have to see if I believe that you’re related to Iden.”

That got a laugh out of Zeehay. So far, Del’s charm was working to the point that it got one of her trademark laughs, one that Iden felt she hadn’t heard in a long time. “Come on, mama. Let’s go inside and eat. I could hear Del’s stomach rumbling from a mile away.”

”Yes, yes. Make sure he eats a lot. He’s too skinny!” 

”Now you’re starting to sound like _my_ mother.” Del smiled at the memories. As he watched Iden and her mother it was clear that Iden had inherited all of what made him love her from Zeehay. Her humor, her smile... her beauty.

Inside the house he found himself looking at the pictures on the wall. Several different works of art along with photographs. Nearly all of them were Iden at different ages, and he did have to double take a few times. Teenaged Iden lookedlike she could be Seyn’s twin. 

Almost like she could sense his thoughts, Iden slid her arms around him and gently began to tug him to the table. “It’s time to eat. You’d better make my mother happy.”

”There won’t be any leftovers.” Del assured her. His mouth was watering already at the sight of traditional flavors of rice, including a few he didn’t recognize, flatbread, and of course, the main attraction- a curry that looked and smelled pretty close to what Del’s own mother would prepare. 

Zeehay could only watch satisfied as he dug in. 

“I haven’t had a meal like this in ages.” Del said when he took a moment to serve himself again. “I didn’t think anyone could beat my mother’s cooking, but you may have done it, Ms. Versio. What’s this kind of rice? It’s not familiar.”

Zeehay explained and Iden snuck a drink of water. Living away from her mother for so long had gotten her taste buds accustomed to bland American food. She could feel her taste buds protesting the invasion of several herbs and spices. 

Her mother and Del began to laugh like old friends, while Del told of his childhood and the foods he grew up with and how Zeehay and his mother would be best friends. Zeehay made a comment about that being one day in the future when he and Iden got married and Del just blushed a bit.

Iden knew she wasn’t going to make it through lunch without at least one emergence of “Indian Mom”. Sure enough, while Del took a breathe to drink, Zeehay began berating her in Hindi about her responsibilities and the do’s and dont’s of a relationship by her traditional standards. 

“If he gets you pregnant, I’m sneaking into your apartment and cutting his cock off.” Zeehay declared, and Iden just sighed and buried her head. Del, however, choked, and began to cough up his left lung.

Both women looked at him, confused. Was it a coincidence? Or had he somehow understood what she’d said?

Del continued coughing for several moments, and Iden felt her cheeks grow hot as she realized it was the latter. This entire time she and her mother had been speaking in Hindi, Del had understood nearly every word of it because his native tongue was so similar.

How had she been so stupid as not to connect the dots or mention where Del was from! First Seyn had wowed them, and now her mother must be feeling a bit betrayed by not knowing about Del’s knowledge.

”Mama...”Iden began as she rubbed Del’s back. “Del speaks Urdu.”

”Oh.” Zeehay’s eyes widened a bit, but then she just shrugged. As Del recovered, she leaned forward threateningly. “I was serious.”

”Yes, ma’am.” Del squeaked, shifting a bit in his chair. Memories of his mother beating his eldest brother with a sandal for being caught with a girl came flooding back, and he was not ready to test any theory.

“Iden, you haven’t eaten anything.” Zeehay complained, turning back to her daughter like nothing had happened. Iden defended the accusation by pointing out all the rice she had consumed, and her mother just looked her dead in the eye and served a nice helping of curry onto her plate. ”Eat!” 

When her mother looked away, Iden nudged Del and quickly swapped plates with him. He didn’t question it, and when Zeehay looked back it was as if Del had served himself again while Iden cleaned up the last of some vegetables.

An hour later, Del was driving home with Iden in the passenger seat, belly full and a smile on his face. “I like your mom.” 

“Even though she threatened to chop off your-“

”I’ve heard worse!” Del cut in. “Drill sergeants have creative ways of getting into your head.”

”Ah.” Iden didn’t need him to elaborate. “Did I miss anything while I was gone.”

”Well, exams started.”

”I know. That’s why I knew I had to come back.”

”-And I may or may not have kinda brought a dog home.” Del added. Just as Hask had predicted, Iden’s face changed into one of horror. For a terrible moment, Del was afraid she was going to say she was allergic.

”A dog?” She repeated.

”Yeah, his name is Dio. He’s a lab border collie mix, and I’ve already trained him pretty well.” Iden continued to stare, and he felt his shoulders slump. “I found him alone, and I just had to take him in. Plus, training him has really helped my focus lately. I got an A in calculus.”

He hadn’t really needed to add that last part. “I’ll try not to pass any judgement until I meet him.”

”Trust me. You’ll love him.” 

The first thing Iden realized as she and Del neared the apartment was that the barks coming from the other side were more like yips. Del had said the mysterious “Dio” was a dog, but it was clear that he was really just...

”A puppy!” She exclaimed, seeing the sight of a small black and white furball staring up at her. “You didn’t say it was a puppy!” 

“Is that worse-“

Iden just groaned and watched as Del knelt down and lifted Dio into the air with one hand. “Dio, this is Iden. She’s the real leader of the pack, so be nice.” 

The puppy’s tail wagged and leaned forward to sniff her. Iden froze in place, contemplating how to react. Dio was pretty cute, she had to admit, but she was still angry that Del would up and surprise her like this. And Hask? How had _he_ ever agreed to it?

She listened as Del explained all about how he’d trained Dio to the point that he could tell them when he needed out. It was clear he had spent a lot of time training him. Time that would normally be spent with the rest of them. 

“Del, be honest with me a moment.” She said.

He stopped scratching Dio behind the ears and looked at her. “Yes?”

”This isn’t to try and replace Seyn, is it?” 

“What?” He exclaimed. “No, not at all!” Then is face softened. “But I’ll admit. It does help a bit. Even science agrees.”

Iden gazed at him a few moments more, then held out her arms. 

Del grinned, and Dio yipped and wagged his tail as Iden took him into her arms. 

“Hello, Dio.” She said. “Welcome to the family.”

  
  


  
  


  
  



	22. Conflict

“You told her _what_?”

“She came to me, Staven. I was done hiding!” They were on a call together, and it seemed rather empty now that it was just the two of them. Just a few weeks ago, the screen would have been split into several different parts. 

The younger agent, maybe fifteen years Lux’s junior, fresh out of the academy at the beginning of this whole mess. That didn’t mean Staven was inexperienced. Far from it. He specialized in areas Lux did not, and had arguably lost just as much as Lux had in his own checkered past: love,family, the like. But they’d been fighting this new Empire for years, in ways that other groups dared not to. Spread out among just about every country, Interpol was an organization set on finding and stopping crime even when individual countries and their agencies thought it was alright to let them fester or turn a blind eye. 

It was the methods and ideals of people like Staven that got most of them into trouble. It wasn’t entirely his fault- Lux had been bloodthirsty once, when a crime boss killed his mother just a few years after his father died in the line of duty. It had been such a big deal, a news story that shook the heart of the community of Onderon. 

He’d grown up much too quickly, and it hurt him to watch people like Iden do the same.

“She was getting suspicious of me. I just-I had to tell her, before someone else hurt her. Before your buddy Hask finally turned her over-”

“Hask is not my “buddy”.”Staven growled. “But you wouldn’t understand that, would you? You’re too busy adopting your target. Isn’t that right?” When Lux said nothing, the younger man folded his arms across his chest and scoffed. “That’s what I thought. Saw was right about you- you’re too soft for this kind of work.”

“Yet I’m more decorated than you are.” Lux shot back. “Look, let’s not fight about this. We’re close to figuring this out, I can tell- you just focus on Hask, and I’ll focus on Iden.”

“The Imp woman.”Staven tried out the nickname he’d come up with a while back, once they’d found out just how involved her father was with the criminal organization. 

“Don’t call her that. It’s not her fault. Honestly, put a little thought into the way you treat other people, Staven. I mean- you killed Azen.”

“Pfft.”Staven rolled his eyes. “If he had really been one of us he would’ve survived that kind of questioning.”

“Excluding the part where you stabbed him point blank in the gut.”

“Yeah… I really need your friend to teach me a thing or two about knifing people.” 

_I’m pretty close to asking him to practice on_ you _._ Lux thought, but chose not to say.

He let Staven talk for a bit. The man was operating outside of parameters, and Lux was technically the one in charge of this operation. He should have turned him in as soon as Azen died, but Lux had a weakness for second chances. But then, negligence on Staven’s part had leaked information that had led to Sadori Vushan’s death, and nearly Seyn’s, too. That had been what started Iden on the downward spiral she was obviously experiencing. Lux had seen it before, in himself.

In the end it hadn’t mattered anyway. Seyn, the girl who had became Iden’s sister and she talked about all the time, was gone. Lux had only met her once, and most of it was spent conversing in languages he hadn’t used in years. 

“So what’s your plan?” 

As Staven began to lay it out, Lux’s frown deepened. Staven was missing the point. Dramatically. Just like Saw…

But Lux held his tongue. He let Staven finish, and then tried to return his face to a neutral expression. Already, he was plotting how to get Staven off of this assignment, maybe barred forever. Two people were dead because of his carelessness. He didn’t want any more preventable casualties. The Empire were the ones killing people. Even if Azen had been a danger, a liability, a double-agent… he should still be alive.

“Just stay away from Iden.” Lux reiterated. “I swear to God, Staven, if you hurt her anymore, I _will_ kill you.”

“I’d like to see you try, old man.” 

Lux just sighed. Staven was painfully arrogant. Lux wasn’t that old. Though he _felt_ old. He should have retired, as he had from working with the FBI years ago. Then, when he’d found out about the Empire, and had caught his ex-wife supporting it and attempting to drag their daughter into it, that had been the final straw. Domestically dealing in it hadn’t been enough, so Lux moved to working in Interpol with old friends from his home.

And what did he have to show for his efforts?

Not a lot. 

Maybe he _was_ a bit desperate for things with Iden to work out. To save her. To give her _hope._ Even if she’d lost it long ago.

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

“We need to talk.” Hask said to Iden and Del. “Again.”

“Yeah?” Iden turned down the TV and she and Del straightened into an attentive position. 

“So I was talking with Staven after class the other day. We went out and, well, it doesn’t take much alcohol to get him talking.”

“Get to the point, Hask.” Iden said, clenching her fists. If it had to do with Staven, it also had to do with Lux. And Iden wanted to know. She didn’t appreciate Hask’s habit of extraneous information.

“Okay, well. Staven said that the attack that happened at Seyn’s party had actually been part of a bigger plot.”

“Hold on, what?”Del interrupted but Iden elbowed him into silence.

“Apparently there had been a few people in attendance who were linked to the Empire.” Hask continued. “That’s why Sadori was going. I’m not saying that he was using Seyn or something, but she definitely didn’t need to be there, and he knew it could have been dangerous.” 

“That is…”Del began, and slowly looked to Iden. She had gone very still, which was a sure sign that she was angry. Dio stood up from his bed on the floor and pattered over to Iden, whining and putting his front paws on the couch beside her. For a few more tense moments, Iden was still. Then she lifted Dio into her lap and exploded into anger.

“And his parents had the- the _nerve_ to treat Seyn like it was _her_ fault. Like somehow her being there made him choose to go after him like that!” Iden yelled. “Maybe if they had been better, attentive parents, he wouldn’t have been so stupid and unpredictable! He was a teenaged boy trying to impress a girl, what else was there to expect!”

“As someone who was once a teenage boy, I can second that observation.” Del put in, debating whether he should physically reach out to comfort Iden. She seemed okay just holding Dio for now. “They’ll do anything to impress a girl. And the fact that he was being taught that the Empire is an enemy, well, I’m not sure what they expected to happen.” 

“So that means the little one, Seyn, she thought that the kid died for her?” Hask glowered. “That is messed up, I tell you what.”

“Yeah, it is.” Del agreed, and Iden looked up between the two of them, a bit impressed to hear Hask speaking like that about Seyn. 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think we need to talk to your father.” Del suggested. 

“Yeah? And what will he do, Del? Send an assassin out here to take care of him? I don’t think so.”

“I’ve said it before, guys.” Hask turned to Iden. “That means _we’re_ supposed to be the assassins.”

Iden stiffened again. She hadn’t thought things would get this far. She knew how to kill, but…

“I told Lux that if I ever found out he had something to do with Sadori’s death, I was going to kill him.” Iden ran a hand down one of Dio’s soft ears. “I was deadly serious.”

“I’m sorry, but I won’t be a killer.” Del sat back. “I told your father that was the line I wouldn’t cross again.”

“Del.”Iden said softly. “What about for Seyn?”

He folded his hands and went silent.

“It’s time for this to end.” Iden continued. “I don’t care how evil this Empire is. If all these fools in Interpol had just kept their noses out of it, then lots of people would still be alive, and Seyn would still be with us.”

“Iden, I don’t know if that’s something-”

“Shut up, Del!” Iden shouted, scaring Dio a bit as his little head shot up and nearly collided with Iden’s chin. His collar and tags jingled.

Stunned and a bit hurt, but ultimately understanding, Del clamped his mouth shut. Iden was just grieving. Again. She missed her old simple college life. She missed Seyn. 

“I think we’ve talked enough, Hask.”Del said softly,and stood up carefully so as to not distress Iden anymore. Dio cocked his head when Del tried to leave, but ultimately stayed in Iden’s arms. He was almost too big to be a lap dog anymore, though. 

Del took hold of Hask’s bicep and led him from the room. Now, Hask didn’t exactly approve of nor appreciate Del’s relationship with Iden, but he respected it, and knew that he somehow knew her best now. 

“Should we be worried?” Hask asked.

“That’s the problem, Hask.”Del said, sitting down in his desk chair and glancing out the door. “I’m not sure.”

"She hasn't been hurting herself anymore, has she?" Hask asked. Del's cheeks darkened at the implication that he would know something like that, but he still shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Good." Hask repeated. "I don't know if I've ever seen her this angry. I'm surprised she didn't lash out."

"Uh, she yelled at us." Del pointed out. "Does that not count?"

Hask shook his head. "Not really. Sometimes she does that thing like Seyn would. Maybe she's grown out of it. I dunno."

After that, the two men said nothing else, just sat in silence until dinner, which Del and Hask took separately from Iden. She'd taken Dio and locked herself in her room. They could tell that she was planning.

Del thought back to his assumption a few weeks ago, that something was about to happen. It seemed as if he had been right.

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Come on, come on.” Del said through gritted teeth as he drove home in a (responsible) hurry. Neither Hask nor Iden were at home when he’d arrived. The former had mentioned that he had chosen to take the final in his afternoon class, (Del could never remember exactly what it was) but that had been hours ago. Hask’s phone was going straight to voicemail, which any other day Del would have laughed at because it was obvious that the last time Hask had ever recorded his greeting was when he was about ten years old.

What really worried him was Iden.

Ever since Hask had dropped the bombshell that Staven and Lux were behind Sadori’s death and indirectly Seyn’s downwards spiral and injuries, Iden had become unnaturally...violent. Hask had also revealed to him that Iden knew how to shoot a gun and could do it well as they’d grown up going to the shooting range at certain times. And when Del had felt the urge to run inventory on his weapons like he did every once in a while, he found his M1911 pistol missing. Hask and Iden were the only other people who knew he kept them in that closet, and only Iden knew the code besides him, given that Hask had his own guns in a separate safe.

He’d been in such a rush and out of it that he didn’t stop Dio from following and jumping into the car with him. 

The only problem was that Del didn’t have much of an idea of where Iden was headed. If she was planning to do what Del thought she was, he doubted it would be back up to the school. Classes had been over for a week, and he doubted Iden was stupid enough to go walking up to a college campus with a gun. 

He remembered something Iden had once told him about how Lux would like to take walks off by himself, and sometimes he’d take his classes or just Iden with him. If he could just remember where it was…

A naturally occuring outdoor amphitheater not far from the school.

If Del took a moment to think about it, it made sense. Lux was an orator. Music was a hobby along with other classes, and from what he and Seyn had found he had been the son of an influential politician and an Onderani military officer, which, being a soldier himself, Del appreciated someone who could tell that not all conflict is solved through war. Interpol as a whole was not a violent organization. That was what Hask and Iden didn’t seem to realize. 

There was a hiking trail that seemed to lead to where Del needed to go. He parked quickly and climbed out of his car. Dio followed and wagged his tail expectantly. The dog’s ears perked up when there was the sound of thunder, but Del’s ears recognized the sound not as thunder but a silenced M1911.

“Iden…”He murmured, and looked down at Dio. “C’mon, buddy. Let’s go get her.”

Dio seemed to understand and took off running. Del had been training him to seek, and seek is what the dog did best. His tail wagged as he ran, keeping his nose to the ground. However, he didn’t get far before he began to bark happily. Del breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Iden walking towards them, Dio hovering around her. Iden paid neither Dio nor Del any heed and kept walking.

“Iden…”Del stepped in front of her and took her arm softly. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, where it was raining, and the sun had gone down, there was nobody around to have seen what she did.

Wordlessly, she slipped a bag off of her shoulder and handed it to him. It wasn’t her backpack, but it had a familiar weight to it that told Del exactly what was inside. As Iden continued walking, Del glanced inside. There was a smell of gunpowder, but he also noticed something else. Del drew the drawstring closed and shut the bag and began to follow her. Dio was dancing about at Iden’s heels by the door when he arrived back where he had parked. 

“I walked.” Iden said by way of explanation, which was why Del saw no other cars around and explained her absence for most of the day.

Del just stopped in front of her and held out his hand. Iden rolled her eyes and handed him the taser she had kept attached to her belt. 

“It’s been fired.” It was a statement, not a question. Iden didn’t reply until…

“I think you know.” 

“And my pistol.” Del continued. “It wasn’t loaded. You fired a blank.”

“Just in case Hask was around.” Iden replied.

“You didn’t kill him.” Del continued. 

She didn’t respond again.

Del knew her well enough to tell that she would talk if and when she was ready. Knowing that she hadn’t actually killed Lux was enough for him, he didn't want Iden living with a killer's conscience on her mind like he did.

"Are you hungry? There's food at home but we can stop if you want."

"I just want to go home, please." Iden said, rubbing Dio's head from where he awkwardly sat on the floor of the passenger's side. 

When they got home, she locked herself in her room until Hask came home. 

"Where have you been?"

"Making things right." Hask said, "just like Iden did."

"You knew what she was doing?" Del demanded. 

"Of course. She made it pretty obvious, Del!"

"Well you shouldn't have encouraged it!"Del thundered, rising up from his spot on the couch. Dio lowered his head, hackles up, and growled at Hask. When Hask's face change, Del added in a much lower voice. "What did you do to Staven?"

Hask didn't respond, just turned away from Del and went to the kitchen. In three steps, Del crossed the room and grabbed Hask by the shoulder, roughly turning him around. "I am tired of not being told anything!" He growled.

"I took care of him. That's all."Hask said in a confident tone. He wasn't scared of Del. He may have been a soldier, but Del would never hurt him, and he would never hurt Del. He was just angry, and didn't know what to do to express it.

Sure enough, Del let go of Hask and stalked down the hallway to their room. By the sound of the door slamming, Hask had a feeling that he would be sleeping on the couch tonight.

Didn't bother him too much. In the morning, everything would be normal. They'd sit down, and have a nice long chat before graduation. Then, finally, they'd talk to Iden's father and then put this all behind them. 

Who knew what the future would bring for them.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not exactly like the book but i'm happy with it and we got to see Del's POV so gg I guess. He was upset in one way in the book and now he still is.
> 
> Next chapter will be the last chapter that is book territory.


	23. Zeehay

It had been a long time since Garrick Versio talked with his former wife.

After the divorce, he and Zeehay hadn’t exactly been friends, but they remained in contact if only for Iden’s sake. Now, she was graduating, and it only seemed right that he check in to see how Zeehay was doing before they attended.

He drove down a few days before Iden’s graduation, alone, and secured a room at a hotel for a few days. 

He had loved Zeehay, once upon a time. Really, truly, loved her. And it was that remnant of love that had him bring flowers to brighten up what had to be a dull house. 

Something hurt in his chest when he approached her door. Nervousness? No. He hadn’t been nervous around her since he was a young man. 

“Zeehay?” He asked, knocking lightly on the door. “It’s Garrick.”

No response. 

He sighed. Maybe she hadn’t heard him, so he knocked again and rang the doorbell. 

After thirty seconds of pacing, he reached out to try the doorknob. It was open, and he let himself in. “Zeehay?”

No response. All of the lights in the house were off,even though it was three in the afternoon. 

He didn’t know his way around and thus began to wander, occasionally calling Zeehay’s name. He saw that a vase of drooping flowers was on the kitchen table and frowned a bit. It wasn’t like her to be negligent like this. 

“I’m in the kitchen.” He called, and set down the new flowers he’d brought on the counter. He reached in to change the old flowers and hissed in pain as the rose thorns cut his palm. He tossed them out quickly, and replaced them with the daisies he’d brought. 

Zeehay still hadn’t made an appearance and the house was eerily silent. He waited in the kitchen a few more moments before he turned right down the hall from the living room. In that hallway he found only a bathroom, a guest bedroom, and what had to have been Iden’s old room. 

Even before Iden was born, her mother had always been partial to photography, and it had become nearly an obsession once she was born. Pictures were hung about the house, and so many of them were of Iden, Garrick actually found himself becoming a bit nostalgic of the days his daughter was small enough to be cradled. Not that he ever did, but…

He frowned when he saw pictures of the other girl, Seyn. The last time he had seen her was when he had met Iden and her friends for dinner- she had tried to drink some wine and the tall one, Del, had stopped her. Garrick had hardly looked at the younger girl for the entire dinner because she looked so much like Iden, and it made him a bit regretful of how he’d treated his daughter over the last decade or so of her life. 

Still no Zeehay. Garrick frowned again and had to admit he was almost a bit worried. She was sick, he knew, but she should have given some indication that she knew he was here even if she couldn’t come and greet him. He knew how she liked to be hospitable.

The other hall, the left one, almost mirrored the other in the sense that there was a spare room and then a master bedroom. The door to it was cracked, and Garrick knocked. A bit too hard, it seemed because the door swung open. 

For a moment, he thought she was just asleep. She’d always been someone who’d slept on her side facing towards the right. 

He took a step closer, and something crunched under his boot. Glass, from a picture frame that had fallen. He followed it to her hand, clenched so hard there were indentations in her palm. Her skin, normally a light chocolate color like Iden’s, was even darker and clammy.

Normally Garrick considered himself a calm man, but now he panicked a bit as he called 9-1-1. He explained the situation, debated with the operator over whether it was an “expected” death or not, and hung up with a huff.   
  
“Zeehay...” he murmured, taking in the dullness of her skin.

Then he stumbled back, slipping a bit on the glass picture frame and then he slid down the wall. An odd sense of grief overtook him. There was no sure way to know what he should feel right now so he just stared straight ahead. 

She should have made it just a few more days. She was supposed to have months left, to be able to see Iden graduate and move on in life. 

Now she never would.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Iden knew something was wrong the moment she saw her father in the crowd of attendees.

“What’s wrong?” Del asked, catching her craning her neck. Because he was so tall, they had easily found each other even if they hadn’t been sitting next to each other, since Iden was graduating with full honors.

“I don’t see my mother.” Iden said, pursing her lips. “But look, there’s my father.” 

Del squinted and could see at least one unmoving figure. Garrick Versio looked up and made eye contact and both Iden and Del looked away as Iden cringed.

“I’d better go and talk to him, then.” She said warily. “Will you come with me?”

“Come with you?” Del asked. “Really?”

“I have a bad feeling.” She said, looking at him from over her shoulder. Like he often did, Del offered her his arm to hold and she took it, not in a romantic way but rather gratitude for his gentlemanliness. It lasted until they saw her father conversing with Hask.

“We’d better drop this then.” Iden said, unwrapping her hand from Del’s elbow.

“Right.” Del didn’t mention that Hask was already glaring.

When Iden and Del approached, the Admiral turned. “Mr. Meeko.” He greeted. “And Iden.” He looked at his daughter and opened his arms. Not to hug her, but rather to place them on her shoulders in some kind of a show of pride. “Your mother would be proud of you.”

“Where is mom, anyway?” She asked, wanting nothing more than to run. 

“We should walk.” Her father led her away from her friends speaking out of earshot. 

“Oh no.” Del whispered, and both men turned to see that there was, indeed, an “oh no” situation- Iden looked upset, unbearably so, and her father was watching her, likely telling her off because “Versios don’t cry.”

The last they saw of Iden’s father was that he left quickly.

“Iden, what’s-“ Hask began, stepping forward but she cut him off and took Del’s arm. 

“What’s wrong?” Del asked, not getting too physical as long as Hask watched.

“He said.... he said my mother is dead. She died in her sleep a few days ago. The cancer was further along than previously anticipated.” She sniffed again. “He didn’t think to tell me earlier in case it “messed with my head” during exams.”

“Iden, I’m so- I’m so sorry.” Del said softly. He’d known Iden had been very close to her mother, and remembered watching the two of them laugh and smile together at dinner the other night.

“I just- I wish she could have seen me today.” Iden sighed, shaking her head a bit. Suddenly, the diploma in her hand seemed like a weight, and she wanted to rip her gown to shreds. First Seyn, then her mother.

“Is there going to be a funeral?” Hask wondered.

“It was yesterday.” Iden grumbled. “More of my father’s nonsense.” 

“Weren’t they divorced?” 

“That doesn’t matter, Del.” Iden said softly, pressing her face into his chest. It was a unique smell of fabric, sweat and cologne. Del’s scent. Hask looked away as Del couldn’t help but wrap an arm around her shoulders.

“Do you want to meet my parents?”He asked the two of them, but mostly Iden. 

“Your parents came?” Hask asked, as if surprised.

“Well, look around you, man. So did everyone else’s” Del gestured to the crowd, and Hask shrugged a bit sheepishly. 

“I just meant that you seem a bit...old to have your parents still coming to things.” Hask pointed out.

“Well, just because I graduated older than everyone else doesn’t mean they aren’t going to be proud. Just took me a bit longer since most of my education was between deployments on the military bases.”

“Ok, fine.” Hask plastered an over exaggerated smile on his face. “Yes. I would love to meet your parents, Del!” The two of them turned to look at Iden, who was staring off into space as if she couldn’t hear anything. Looking back on it, Del wondered if it was a bit insensitive to ask so soon after hearing about her mother. 

As if sensing his thoughts, Iden offered a small smile. “It’s really alright, Del. It’s dad’s fault for telling me like this. I’m fine.”

He was about to tell her that there’s no way she was fine, but just squeezed her hand. “I can see them just over there.” Excited, he began walking, and Hask fell back beside Iden. 

”Are you sure you’re alright?” He wondered.

”Yes, Hask. I’m fine. I’ll figure it out when I’m home.” 

_And that was Iden,_ Hask thought. _Saving feelings for later when she was alone.  
_

She had only mourned Seyn when she was alone or in the company of only him and Del. In this crowd of people she would keep it together. 

It wasn’t hard to spot Del’s parents, either. His father was tall, like he was, with the same hazel green eyes. Del’s mother was shorter, about Iden’s height and had clearly given Del his hair and nose. They both enveloped their only surviving son in a hug.

“Mom, dad, this is Iden and Hask.” Del had a grin on his face, matched by his father. Clearly the Meeko family was all smiles even in their tragic circumstances. 

“Hello,” Del’s father had a pleasant accent, slightly stronger and more British sounding than his son’s, almost like Hask’s or Iden’s father’s. He and Hask shook hands, and Hask could tell that he was also a strong man. And, something neither Hask or Iden were used to, both Del’s parents looked fairly young to have a twenty-eight year old son.

”Son, have you finally found a wife?” Del’s mother teased in Urdu, an attitude so close to Iden’s mom that she actually found her eyes watering. She sniffed, a little too loudly. 

“Stop teasing us, _amma_.” Del said back to her and went back to stand between Iden and Hask. “I don’t think we’ve had a picture yet, now have we? Come on, while we can still stand to be in our gowns.”

Iden took the distraction instead of protesting as she usually would.

”Look, Del.” Mrs. Meeko pointed to Iden’s “summa cum laude” sash and frowned at her son. “Why couldn’t you do that?”

”I’m not smart, mom.” Del said through gritted teeth as he tried to hold a smile. He has one arm around Iden and the other around Hask’s shoulders, but his was the most genuine smile. 

“I’m already trying to forget today ever happened.” Iden said quietly after the picture had been taken. But it was a nice one, and Iden was glad they’d done it as they began to shed their caps and gowns. If only Seyn was here, too, even though she’d be graduating later. 

Del was back talking to his parents, and Hask offered to take her home once they started talking about going out for dinner. As much as Iden did want to get to know Del’s family (and possibly make a good impression) she could feel herself getting overwhelmed. 

“Please.” She agreed, “and Dio probably needs to be let out.”

Iden told Del where they were going and he frowned ever so slightly, but understood. There’d be other times to talk as his parents were staying a few days at least.

”You’re just dropping me off, right?” She clarified with Hask.

”If that’s what you want. Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

”Stop worrying, Hask. You’re starting to sound like Del.”

”What? It’s not a good look on me?” 

“No.” Iden shook her head. 

They sat in silence after that. Hask knew Iden wanted only to be dropped off, but still walked her to the door.

”Do you want me to bring you anything home? I can text you where we’re going.”

”Thanks, Hask.”

“Iden, can I ask you something? You can tell me if it’s awkward or not.”

”Go ahead.”

”Do you... do you want a hug?”

They hadn’t hugged since they were teenagers, when her father had awkwardly explained sex to them when he realized how close they were. Hask was surprised when she nodded, even if it was quick and he hardly put his arms around her. He’d just been watching her with Del and while he didn’t mean to intrude, he did see that Iden always seemed better after a hug. 

Iden realized how different it was to being held by Del. Del held her like he loved her. Hask was stiff and kind of just stood there with his arms gripping a bit too tightly in the wrong places.

She separated from him and slipped inside the apartment, shutting Hask outside. Dio rose from his bed and trotted over to her, bouncing up and down on his front paws. 

“Hey there, buddy.” Iden knelt down and scratched his ears, then when he impatiently rang the bell with one of his paws she let him out and followed him as he bounded down the steps. She and Del had trained him pretty well so that he came when called and didn't need a leash. He did have a tendency to try to stand up to other dogs that were bigger than him, though.

Iden sat on the bottom steps while Dio explored the same area he always did as if something new would come of it.

What she didn't understand is how she had talked to her mother the night before she died. If Iden could have known she would have said so much more and driven over there and hugged her and held her one last time. Her father had seemed visibly shaken, though, from being the one to discover her body. Iden didn't know what to think of that. On one hand, it was good to see that her father had some kind of a heart. On the other hand, she didn't think he should have been the last person to see her.

She was supposed to have three months left. 

By Iden's calculation, her mother had died the same night she decided to go after Lux, and she had yet to tell anyone what truly transpired that night. But she needed to. Del already knew the truth that she hadn't killed Lux, but but nobody knew what had happened to him when he wasn't there at graduation.

Lost in thought, Iden wasn't aware of Dio trotting up to her until he was putting his head in her lap, causing her to unfold her arms. "You ready to go back inside, boy?"

Dio woofed and wagged his tail, bounding up the stairs and watching to see if she was following. 

When they went back into the apartment, Iden went straight to her room and fell down onto her bed. Across the room, she could see Seyn's neatly made bed, taunting her. 


	24. Memories

Over the next several weeks, the three friends had big decisions to make. The apartment they were in was just for students, meaning they had to move by the end of the summer. Iden was charged with finding a new place for the three of them as they still decided to stay together. Between Del's military benefits, Iden's money from her parents and their summer jobs, they could rent a new apartment or townhouse pretty comfortably. Del and Hask would still be sharing a room, and Iden would now have one all to herself.

But house hunting wasn't all that was on Iden's mind. She was hoping that her father would leave them alone after the whole thing with Lux and Staven. But no, he didn't, and Iden had done a recent bout of clearing up the name of one of his associates with some locals. 

"Did you hear? The police made that huge raid and ended up busting a ton of those Imperials." Hask said one day after coming home early.

“Yeah, I heard. What are you home early for?” Iden wondered. 

“Well, I enlisted!” Hask said with bravado. 

“You said you changed your mind!” Iden exclaimed, turning back around from where she was starting to prepare dinner.

”I didn’t go navy. I went national guard. I know. Not as impressive but... I promised your father I would enlist for something. You know more than I do how it makes him angry to break promises.” 

"You're not his son, Hask." Iden reminded him. "You have no obligation to do so." On second thought, she narrowed her eyes. "He hasn't been talking to you, has he?"'

"No. Of course not." Hask lied, but Iden didn't care enough to pry. She knew how her father had been going behind her back to talk to Hask ever since he had deemed Iden a disappointment when she told him that she and Del were dating. How was Iden supposed to explain to him that no matter how much he wanted Hask and she to end up together that she could never think of him as more than a brother?

"Hask, you will always be special to me in your own way. I hope you know that. In a way, your closer to me than Del could ever be. You're my brother, just like you are his."

He blinked, and Iden went back to chopping up vegetables for a salad, one of the few dinner items she couldn't mess up. Hask stood frozen for a few more moments before going to put his stuff down in his and Del's room. Only, he admitted to only himself, it was more just his room, because Del wasn't there when he went to bed and was gone when he woke up. They didn't hang out all that much, especially once Del found out what he had done to Staven. As if Iden hadn't done the same to Lux!

Unless...

Hask frowned as he looked back towards Iden in the kitchen. He remembered her guilt over Seyn and her mother. 

What if she hadn't actually killed Lux Bonteri? 

He heard the front door open and Del came home. Iden greeted him and then he, too, came to set his stuff down. "Oh. You're home early."Del said pleasantly, like always. The man was really too friendly for his own good.

"Del, I need to tell you something."

"Go ahead." Del hardly looked up as he changed shirts, Hask trying not to stare too long. 

"I enlisted for the national guard today."

Del stopped moving ever so slightly before he bundled up his dirty shirt and threw it across the room. "That's fine. National guard isn't the marines, but you'll still see some action."

"I thought you'd be mad, since you convinced me not to enlist before."

"It's your life, not mine. I just don't want you to get too hurt."

”And I don’t want you to worry for me. I can take care of myself.” Hask insisted. 

“I know.” Del said calmly, putting a hand on the doorway. “But I will always worry about my friends. My brothers.” Del finished, and walked back into the common area. He clicked his tongue and Dio left his spot by Iden’s side to go with him out to the yard to play a bit. 

“Didn’t go too well, huh?” Iden asked.

”Better than expected. He’s almost okay with it.” Hask said. “Won’t stop him from worrying about me, though, which is the annoying part.”

”Oh, Hask. Just let him be a brother every once in awhile.”

”I know, but-“

”It doesn’t make you seem that much worse.” Iden said over her shoulder with a bit of a teasing look on her face. 

“Ha, ha.” He said sarcastically, and helped her move some food from the counter to the table. 

Dinner was a bit more silent than usual, with the sound of Dio’s tail swishing on the tile floor providing the only sound. Clearly he thought someone was going to drop something for him to eat, even if he already had some of his own food. 

Hask went back to his room to play video games after dinner, and Del and Iden stayed up while Iden cleaned the dishes and Del went through the mail. His eyes settled on an envelope addressed to him, but it turned out only to be his monthly disability compensation check. A little over a thousand dollars... for a life filled with nightmares and trauma. 

“Del? You alright?” 

“Just thinking.” He smiled at her, and let her slide into his arms. She raised an eyebrow. “No, I’m not worried about Hask. Not too much, anyway.”

Satisfied with the truth, Iden patted Del’s chest and moved to sit on the couch. Dio came up to her begging for attention and Del sat down beside Iden began to skip through channels for something to watch.

Del’s time in the war had been over for years, now, but with this new mess Iden’s father had dragged him into (he would never admit it because he loved her so much) it seemed like it had never stopped. 

Nevertheless, Del slid a content arm around Iden’s shoulders and smiled as she leaned into him.

<><><><><><><><><><><>

Iden’s heart skipped a beat when she saw an unfamiliar car park in front of their house a few months later. It was an odd hour, too. Past dark, and she was reading in the living room while Del and Hask played video games.

Part of her feared it was her father, come to find her for not responding to his emails. But the two men who exited the vehicle were definitely not to do with her father.

“Del!” She called, down the hall. He poked his head out of his room and then came hurrying towards her as soon as he saw the worry in her voice. “What’s going on?”

Even Hask, home from one of his breaks in training had come to look out the window. Two well dressed military personnel were walking towards the front door. 

“What’s going on-“ Iden wanted to know but Del just swallowed harshly.

“Stay inside.” His skin had gone a bit pale but he straightened his shoulders and waited for the knock.

Hask gently took Iden by the shoulders and led her away.

”Why’s he scared?” Iden asked Hask. “Are they coming to take him away? Is he having to go back to war-“

”Someone died.” Hask said bluntly and Iden’s heart sunk. Del could only be next of kin for a few people. And people in the military meant-

"It's his brother."Iden mumbled, and felt dread overtake her. “He said Cade had him down as “next of kin”. Oh no, Hask- oh no....”

They heard it from the hallway: “" _The commandant of the Marine Corps... deep regret that your brother, Cade... declared missing in action.... He and his unit... not returned...presumed dead...Deepest sympathy to you and your family in your loss."_

In the doorway, Del set his jaw. He did not cry, not yet, and gave only a nod in response. This was what his parents had gone through once before, and if Cade hadn’t put him down as next of kin they would be doing so again. He was glad to be receiving the news first, so he could tell it to them. 

But he was still in shock. He was allowed to be in shock. The notification officer and his partner watched him for signs of distress, and Del knew that protocol was for them to stay until it was clear that he was not going to faint or have a heart attack or worse. They would stay until the saw that Del wasn’t alone and had Iden and Hask with him to keep him grounded.

One year. Just _one more year,_ and Cade would have been coming home. Now, there was no hope for that. In the military, Missing in Action was as good as dead. They would bury and empty casket, give his brother the full honors of a fallen soldier. Leaving Del...

”I’m the only one left.” He breathed, and suddenly the news hit him all over again. He actually stumbled, and the second marine reached out an arm. But then suddenly Iden was there, holding him up, and Hask was holding Dio back from going after the soldiers at the door.   
  
“Thank you for your sacrifice.” Said the notification officer, and Del wanted to yell at him. _What do you know about sacrifice!_

But he didn’t of course, because he remembered who he was talking to. A fellow marine, a fellow soldier. 

His hands were shaking too hard to respond and so Iden took the envelope that was offered. All it did was tell what was coming next, when another committee would arrive to discuss options for the future and whatnot. 

Iden held him when he finally collapsed, when the door was closed and he couldn’t take it anymore and sobbed. Bawled like a baby. 

Iden didn’t offer any verbal encouragement, remembering how much she had detested that when her mother had died. So she just held him and let him cry.   
  
After several moments, Del lifted his head. “I’m going out.” He declared, and stood without any other preamble. 

“Where are you going?” She knew better than to ask if she could come with him. Del needed some time alone to process this, like she had. 

“I need a drink.” Del said back. “Don’t wait up.”

”Del? Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Iden asked softly, but he was already pulling away. 

”At least take Hask with you.” Iden tried, and the door shut in her face. 

She wasn’t offended.

Del had always said that he was prepared for the day he may receive the news of his brother’s demise. He had admitted that it would hurt him more than any other kind of news could, even if it was his parents.

Oh, Iden couldn’t imagine what it would be like for the Meekos to learn that they had lost another son. At the one dinner Iden had with them, they seemed like incredibly nice people. They liked her, which was good, and Del’s mother hadn’t realized she understood Urdu just like Iden’s mother hadn’t realized the same about Del and Hindi.

”I’ll stay up for him.” Hask offered, but Iden shook her head.

“I’ll do it. No offense, Hask, but if anything were to ever happen to you, this is what it’s going to do to him. You realize that, right?”

Hask swallowed nervously. The truth was, he had lied to Del about his intentions and put Iden down as who to notify instead. 

Selfish? Maybe. Logical? Yes. 

“Do you want me to try and follow him?” He wondered.

”No.” Iden shook her head. “If anything, we have the map function on our phones. And we also have Dio.”

Hearing his name, the dog trotted over. It was as if he knew the ambiance had turned dark and sad, and whined as he sat nearly on top of Iden’s feet. 

Silently, the two friends went back to their separate rooms. Hask stared at the wall as he went to sleep, and Iden stared at the same page until she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes that bit at the beginning alluded to the beginning of the video game. We're there now, kids! Del’s about to make a new friend because we all know he needs it :(
> 
> 1 kudos = 1 hug for Del


	25. Pillio

Del rarely drank to get drunk, mostly because he was raised religious and told that it was a sin to do so, but every once and awhile he succumbed to the urge to have one or two. He didn’t drink to get drunk, he drunk to forget.

Which was kind of the same thing. 

Drinking on duty had never been allowed, but Del and his brothers had often raised a beer or two after a campaign and if they were all back. Sometimes it had been just the twins, since Cade was ranked higher. Then it became often Del alone, because Cade rarely made it around. Anytime one of them weren’t around they were given an empty glass to symbolize their absence.

It took, frankly, a _lot_ of alcohol to get Del truly drunk. Approximately 4 beers in 30 minutes got him over the legal limit, if his math was right. But that was awhile back, and Del hadn’t weighed himself in awhile, and he’d also been eating some really good food and exercising a bit less lately. 

He took a drink and began to remember.

_"That was probably worse than usual." Cade said, blue eyes dull with shock. He was the shortest out of the three, and his posture didn't help matters. He may have been a major, but he was an off duty major, so he was allowed to slouch at the moment. "Lost a whole battalion to those damn rebels."_

_"They've gotten better." Elias agreed._

_"At what?" Del wondered. "Defending their homes? Doing what they think is right?"_

_"I don't know what universe you're living in, Del, but kidnapping and torturing and committing genocide is not "right"." Cade pointed out. Del looked down and Cade nudged his shoulder. "Don't look so upset, little brother. We're still alive, aren't we?"_

_"Yeah, we are. Just wished Nash and the others were as well."_

_"You're too much a softie, Del." Elias said on Del's other side. "I thought we'd beat some sense into you already."_

_"You mean when you broke my nose?"_

_"In the name of brotherly love!" Cade laughed and almost fell from his makeshift chair. "Here, boys. I got something good this time." He slipped a flask from inside his jacket and passed it to Elias. He drank, and his eyes went wide._

_Del drank next and grimaced, but didn't sputter or cough like his mirror image had. It was sweet, yet sour, and it tickled his throat and sent bubbles up his nose. He handed it back to a bemused Cade, who took a swig that had to be at least half of the flask. "Some of the last from that base we razed earlier. We could have been drinking this every night if we hadn't moved to the states."_

_"We could also be dead if we had stayed." Del pointed out. "We didn't fit in. I'm glad we moved."_

_"You've lost your honor, too?" Elias teased, but knew his brother was a homebody. Danger hadn't been enough a reason for them to move in Del's eyes._

_"No, I'm just conflicted." Del said softly, as his twin stole his brother's flask and took another drink. Del couldn't find it in him to take another gulp, so he didn't._

There were more pleasant memories, too, where Cade wasn't as hard, but that had been the last time the three of them had been together. After that, Cade began to look at Del with the same kind of protectiveness he had when his baby brother had been just that: a baby. Cade could never replace Elias, the literal mirror image of Del, but Del let him try. 

He was finishing up his second beer when his intuition went on alert. His imaginary hackles went up, and his head cocked ever so slightly to the side, listening as the sound of several boots surrounded him. Now, Del hadn’t ever been to this bar before (or any bar in town) but it had been a bit sketchy looking from the outside. Del looked down at his glass and frowned. Something was off about his drink, and he’d been too in shock and sent off his guard to even consider it. 

Slowly, he felt his body act as if it had been cemented in place. His limbs couldn’t move, but his head stubbornly swiveled as if to see his attackers. In his vision, the rest of the patrons of the bar swarmed like giant, angry bugs Del had seen overseas. 

“Help-“ He said, strangled, and felt rough hands grab his arms and begin leading him away. 

"Looks a bit too fancy to be from around here." Someone hissed in his ear. "Come from the good part of town, have you?"

"Comes down here and tries to think he's better than us?"Said another. Del tried to shake away, but was still frozen solid. If he weren't so... impaired, he could take these guys. But, unfortunately, he _was_ impaired, and fighting back was very difficult at the moment. 

Now, at this moment, Del was kind of wishing he had not gone solo for this one. Even Hask would be an okay partner to have, assuming he could hold his liquor. And the Military hadn't prepared him for something like a spiked drink. If he was lucky, Del's fast metabolism would work it through his system quickly and he'd be back in no time. Or, perhaps, he was already dying.

Whoever took him dragged him outside to the back of the bar and shoved him on the wall. Del estimated that there were three of them, two of which kept talking about him and taunting. Someone, possibly the silent third, patted him down.

Del had walked, and since it was a bar he had brought his wallet, but no keys. That seemed to displease his assailants, because one kicked him in the back of the knee and forced him to the ground. Del felt the unmistakable shape of a pistol against his head, just as Del's left hand regained feeling in it, he used his elbow to strike with all of his strength, and grabbed the barrel of the gun and shoved it away as it went off-

Just down the street, a police officer heard the sound of a gun going off and immediately looked up. He was in a strange part of town, where there was usually no conflict but when there was, it was usually deadly. Sometimes it was the Empire. Sometimes it was just the locals.

Sometimes it was a little of both.

He called in a disturbance, and then drove a bit closer to where he had heard the gunshot come from. It was the bar.

Of course it was.

There was always a better chance of apprehending people if you went in stealthily, without lights and sirens, and so that’s what he had taken to doing. If it was the Empire, they could always use prisoners. If they were locals, well, bad people went to jail. It’s how it worked.

He turned an alleyway and saw the source of conflict. A small posse had tried to mug- or worse- one of the patrons of the bar, but only this time- the guy was fighting back. Even though he looked like he’d been hit with some of that drug that was circulating around the area, turning people to cement for a short period of time, he looked bigger than those who had taken him. 

The mysterious tall man yelled, and once it was clear he had somewhat recovered -and was freakishly strong, even with one hand- his captors scattered, leaving him alone with only a gun used against him to show for it. 

Del looked up and saw a silhouette in the darkness. However, instinct told him he was not in danger. “Hello!” He called, grunting a bit as he tried to move stiffened joints. “Who are you?”

“I heard the commotion.” Said the figure in a male voice. He had an American accent, and Del stiffened a bit as he moved closer and began to make out the figure as a man in a police uniform. 

_Oh, no.  
_

Del wasn’t a bad man of course, but one could say he was involved in some... questionable things with Iden’s father. In fact, he was technically an Imperial.

But not by choice.

“Sounded like you needed help.” The police officer continued, and moved close enough that Del caught his nameplate in the moonlight. 

Skywalker.

Oh, fantastic, Del thought inwardly, but didn’t say. “Yeah, I do.” He admitted instead. “Got anything to help me out?”

”You’ve been drugged.” Luke Skywalker, young hero of the precinct and record holder with arrests of Imperials. “It’s a drug that’s been coming around, but I’m sorry to say I don’t have a quick fix.”

”I screwed up.” Del admitted, wanting to smack himself in the forehead but was too frozen.

“I feel like I should ask you what you are doing here, but it’s 2300 on a Friday night.” Luke said, hauling Del to his feet. Del’s stiff knees hurt in an awkward way and went taut like a string. Luke’s tone had been disapproving, so Del had to ask.

”Why’d you help me?”

”Because you asked.” Luke said as if it were obvious. Almost patronizingly so. Del was three heads taller than Luke, but still felt a bit offended. Del didn’t actually recall asking for help, but police officers were always assuming things.

Any further talk was interrupted by the arrival of more gang members. Instinctively, Del raised the pistol he’d taken off the ground.

”No, wait!” Luke protested, right as Del let a shot go. Stupid, but Del couldn’t help himself, instinct took over. His shot bred others from the darkness, and before he knew it the cop was shoving him behind a dumpster for cover. Del’s aching body screamed in pain, but at least he was safe. 

”My radio’s in the car. We’re going to have to work together. Don’t kill anybody, but you clearly look like you know how.”

”What? Like you so obviously don’t?” Del couldn’t stop the words from his mouth. For a moment, Luke looked stunned, even hurt. 

“I’m sorry if I’ve ever hurt you.” He said in a just as passive aggressive apology.

“You didn’t. It’s just...”Del was cut off by a shot just above his shoulder. Enraged, he peeked out and shot at an enemy’s leg. He heard a satisfying shout of pain, and ducked back behind cover.

”I’m going around.” He announced to Luke, unintentionally assuming a commanding tone. “Cover me when I get behind them.” 

“Excuse me?” Luke asked, but Del was already moving through the shadows. True to his word, he did not try to actually hurt anyone. Luke tazed a couple more, and watched Del begin to fight with the last man standing. It was easy to predict who would come out on top, given that Del was heads taller and much stronger. And it was clear he knew what he was doing. Trained, somehow, and so Luke assumed it was armed forces. 

“I’m going to have to call in for this.” Luke gestured to the bodies around them. You alright with giving a statement?” 

"Do I have to?” Del said, and stretched. His left shoulder, however, screamed in pain and he winced. "Why would i need to do that?"

“Because I asked." Luke said, and Del's face showed pain again. "You’re hurt?” Luke wondered, and then realized he didn’t even know this guy’s name, even if he’d already figured out who he was. “Sorry- what’s your name.”

”Del.” Del said cautiously. “Del Meeko. And I’m not hurt, it’s just an old injury. I’ll put some ice on it when I get home.” He was still regarding Luke warily, even if he’d proven to be a help. 

”You seem like you know your way around a fight.”

"I was a soldier.” Del said. “Two tours in Iraq. That’s actually why I’m here tonight. Just heard that my brother was assumed dead back overseas.”

”Oh.” Luke said. “I’m sorry.”

Del didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the stress, but soon he was pouring his entire life story out to Luke, who listened without complaint. Before he knew it he was even talking about Iden's father, even if he hadn't given out any names except for his own.

“I’m glad we were brought together, Del.” Luke said,simply.

“So, what happens now?” Del asked. “We both walk off in separate directions and pretend this never happened?” He scoffed at the end, almost chuckled. "Or are you going to arrest me for colluding with a known criminal organization?"

Luke actually cracked a smile. “Of course not. From what I can see, you've already got enough on your plate. I bet you can figure this out on your own. Besides, in your state, I can't trust any testimony you give me." Luke's handsome blue eyes twinkled a bit, and Del was taken aback for a slight moment.

”I killed people for a living" Del reminded him. "I never wanted to, but I did. How do I deserve the life I have now with that in mind? I'm a terrible person."

"Then you can make a choice." Luke said.

"What kind of choice? To go back? Right my wrongs? Don't get me wrong, I know what evil like the Empire is capable of."

"A choice to be better."

A few more police cars showed up, and Del and Luke stood up from the curve where they waited. "They didn't take your keys, did they?" Luke asked.

"Nah, I walked." Del said. "Didn't expect to be attacked like this."

Luke hummed, and then gestured for Del to follow him."Ever been inside a police car before?"

"Not this side of the glass." Del joked as he climbed into the passenger side. "Don't have a partner?"

"Nah. I mean, I've got my dog, but I told him to stay in the back." Sure enough, Del turned around and saw a giant german shepherd in a blue and white vest occupying a cage set up in the row behind the seats. It barked, and Del smiled a bit.

"Hey, Del?" Luke asked as Del got out of the car.

He turned.

"If you're looking for a job, we're always in need of a guy like you."

And with that, Luke drove away. Del waited a few minutes before opening the door to the house. Inside, he found Iden on the couch, asleep against the arm. Del snuck past her to no avail, as Dio's waking up and running towards him alerted her to his return. 

She didn't say anything, just lifted up one of her arms, and Del joined her. In the morning, Hask was amazed to find that the two of them had somehow slept there all night.


	26. Vardos

Hask was wary around Del after that night.

It was as if something had... changed inside Del, and suddenly he was doubting everything they’d done for the Admiral. All because he’d met a stupid cop.   
  
Iden seemed to realize, too, and regarded Del with a little more unease than usual. Ever since waking up with him the morning after the soldiers showed up at their door she had realized that something was different.

And as much as both of them tried, they couldn't get it out of him.

As Hask prepared to leave for another weekend of basic training (Del and he had been spending most of their time together working out) Del told Hask everything he knew about preparing for the courses he would run, and warning him about the pepper spray and taser test. "I'm not sure if they'll give you the gas mask experience, but it's terrible as well, so be prepared."

They ran several miles together every morning, Dio prancing at their heels and obediently staying in place with all the squirrels about. When they stopped for water at the end of a trail, Del took that opening to begin a new conversation with his friend.

"You know, I'm thinking of becoming a cop." 

"A cop?" Hask exclaimed, hands behind his head in an effort to regain his breath. "Whatever for?" 

"Well, lots of guys like me do that after they get out of service. Goes with the territory and is easy to get into."

"Hmm. I guess." Hask decided. "But don't you think that wouldn't mix well with your PTSD?"

"There's different jobs."Del said "I doubt I'd be ot in the field unless I really wanted to be. The fitness exams will be a piece of cake."

"Sure about that?"Hask teased, as if he weren't the one who was struggling for breath after just sight miles. Then, he asked the question. "Does Iden know?" 

"Erm.... Not yet."Del admitted sheepishly. "I'm sure she'll be alright with it, though. It'd be kind of funny, don't you think- she's off to law school, and I'm fixing to be a cop. Who knows- maybe she'll change her mind and come with me."

"She'd be good at that sort of thing."Hask agreed. "Though if you two are planning on going serious, you might want to consider the odd hours you'll take."

That made Del stop and think for a moment. "Truthfully, I'm more concerned with her father breaking us apart. He doesn't seem to support our relationship for some reason. I mean, he's had her whole life planned out, might as well let her choose who she wants to be with."

 _That's because he always planned on Iden ending up with me,_ Hask thought but didn't say. It was true, if Hask had been correctly interpreting some of the signals and words Iden's father had been giving off early on. Which meant that Del coming in and stealing her heart...It really hurt. Especially when Iden had told him that she saw him "as an older brother" rather than any kind of relationship.

"You ready to head back?" 

"Ready if you are." Del said, stretching his long legs. The guy never wore shorts, even to work out, but Hask had a feeling there would be an unfair amount of muscle there, too. "I'll even give you a head start."

"I didn't know we were racing." Hask said, then something caught his eye in the distance. "What in the world is that!?" He exclaimed and pointed behind Del, and the gullible older man turned to look. As soon as his back was turned, Hask began running back the way they'd come.

"I don't see anything-"Del said as he turned around, and then saw that Hask wasn't there. Shrugging to himself (Hask would regret using up all that energy in the beginning of a run), Del waited a few more moments before starting his own way back at a steady jog. 

He caught Hask after only a few minutes.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Iden ended up finding out about Del's future plans by accident: he left his computer screen open when he had gone out on a few errands with Hask, and she couldn't help but notice the open and ready application for police academy. 

_Huh,_ she thought, scrolling through a bit. _Is this what Hask was going on about? Worried because Del might try to betray us all?_

_No. He would never. Not without talking to me, first._

"What do you think, Dio?" She asked, reaching down to give the dog a scratch behind his ears. "Is this anything to worry about?" 

He yawned in response and prepared for a nap. Del had taken him on a very long walk that morning before the sun was even up, and now he found the small patch of sun in the kitchen floor and trudged over, flopping onto his side. 

Now that Iden was no longer house hunting, she began switching her focus back to law school. Her father wanted her to attend a prestigious academy of his choosing, but Iden was honestly starting to second guess her career choice. Why was she letting her father control everything? Especially since he had been trying to get her to do more and more sketchy things for him. The more he asked, the more Iden was beginning to see that maybe Lux Bonteri had been right.

Last week, she and Hask had met one of her father's partners in order to make sure some weapons were transported safely. Del had lagged behind as lookout, believing it to be just a normal meeting until he'd realized what was going on. In fact, he'd tried even left and Iden and Hask ended up fighting with her father's contact, Raythe, before the transporting was done and it didn't matter anyway. Hask and Del had fought, quite violently that night, and Iden had to stop Hask from jumping on Del as she saw him getting more and more agitated. 

At least it was over, now. The weapons were gone off to wherever they were needed, and Iden, Del, and Hask resumed business as usual. 

Until now.

"I can't get those weapons out of my mind." Del admitted to Iden that night after he and Hask had returned. "I'd seen them before. In Iraq. They're capable of tearing men apart. But those models that your father was handling? I didn't recognize them. They may be even more dangerous than the AKs we used."

"How bad, Del?"

Even Hask was interested at this point. Del took a breath and began shaking his head. "We had a couple of our men go rogue and supply the enemy with those. Killed a good amount of us, including my brother. What in the world are they doing in circulation here?"

"You're worrying too much, Del. Iden, your father doesn't mean anything by it. Right?"

Iden didn't actually have an answer. In fact, she clenched her fists a bit. 

"...Right?" Hask chuckled nervously. Del shook his head again, but it was Iden who spoke.

"I don't know, Hask. And I don't like this." She shot a look between the two men. "I'm going to talk to my dad."

Del moved to come after her, but she was moving too quick for him to catch up. Dio, however, was much faster than Del's human legs and followed Iden as soon as he smelled danger.

"I want to know what you're doing with those weapons." Iden demanded of her father on the phone. She was angry, and as she did when talking with her father her voice became accented, even if she did not know her father's native Italian.

"It's nothing, Iden. None of your concern."

"I want to know if we'll be in any trouble, dad." Iden insisted, narrowing her eyes even if her father can't see. "I don't think we're all on board with it."

"Oh, I know. Hask has told me about your friend Del. It's unfortunate, really. I thought he would be a good fit for the group."

"That's not fair, dad. You're manipulating us, and you know it. Del wouldn't ever have helped you if he knew this would happen. And I don't want to either. I'm... I'm taking this to the police, no matter what it means."

"You wouldn't dare." Her father was annoyingly calm, as he always was in a crisis.

"I’m sure they would be more than happy to hear what's going on, who's in charge, and how to stop it. Especially after they took your boss out of commission last year. I'm not even that involved. You've used me, and I'm not guilty."

"Oh, yes, you are. As far as the police, FBI, and Interpol are concerned, you're up to your neck in our operation."

"I. Don't. Care." Iden said. "You have thirty seconds to give me a good reason not to expose your whole operation right now. After thirty seconds, I'm hanging up, and Del and I are going to the police." 

Her father ended the call without another word.

Shocked, hurt, and even a bit scared, Iden stared at her phone for a few moments and then turn and ran back into the house. Shortly afterwards, Hask recieved a message, but it was short and over before Iden or Del realized.

"So what?" Del asked Iden. "We go to the police?"

"People are at risk, Del, no matter who they believe in. I won't stand for it anymore." Remembering what her father said about Hask feeding him information all this time, she turned warily to her "friend". Hask refused to make eye contact with her. "Hask. Are you with us?"

He didn't respond, and Iden knew the answer. Del stood up and moved between Iden and Hask. "Come on, Iden. let's go."

"I can't let you do that."Hask warned, and Iden was alarmed to see that Hask pointed a pistol their way. Iden had gotten used to seeing Del's weapons, but Hask had recently gotten a license to carry. Dio began pacing between Del and Iden, growling at Hask if he so much as looked at Iden and snapping when his hand twitched. His hackles were raised and his head and tail were low.

"Hask..."Del warned, and held an arm out towards Iden, as if to protect her. Iden didn't like to consider herself as someone who needed protecting, but knew Del did it not because he doubted her, but because it was his instinct and he cared for her.

"Hask, lower your weapon. Put the gun away. We're your friends."

"Not anymore." But Hask's gun wavered a bit as he considered her words. "You had _everything_ Iden. Everything I ever wanted. A father. A _family._ Power. Prestige. And you're willing to throw it away for what? To get back at your father? To go with _him?_ " Hask waved the gun in Del's direction. "Your father told me he would rather see you die than his operation ruined. How does that make you feel? To be forgotten? _Worthless."_

Something snapped in Del for some reason, and he lunged at Hask, fast and low, and the younger man didn't see it coming. Two hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle slammed into Hask's center and began throwing punches. The gun flew from Hask's hand and far away, but he wouldn't be able to get it again. On command, Dio went after it and fetched it.

"Del!" Iden called after him, as Del rained punches on Hask's face that the man struggled to block. Blood, Iden wasn't sure whose, was on Del's knuckles, and she'd finally seen enough. Hask was lost, but seeing him semi-conscious made her upset for reasons she couldn't explain. She rushed forward and pulled Del off of him. "Del. Come on. We've got to get out of here."

"You...Can't hide."Hask struggled to say.

Iden turned and cast a last look at her friend. “I’m not trying to.” She declared, and slammed the door behind her and Del.

Wanting a moment to collect themselves, she and Del sat in the car, the latter breathing heavily, staring at the blood on his hands. It was Hask’s, and came off when he wiped it on his jeans. 

“Are you alright, Del?” Iden asked gently.   
  
“Yeah. You?” He responded. Dio whimpered and crawled into Del’s lap from the backseat. 

”I don’t know whether to assume my father will come after us or not. He has men, and he knows where we live... but I do know one place he’ll never dare look for us again.”

”I’ll follow you.” Del said. “I’ll get my car, and I’m sneaking back in to grab my valuables. Anything you need?”

”Purple bag from the bathroom, and mine and Seyn’s laptops and chargers.” The clothes on their backs would have to do. In his state, Hask would offer no more resistance.

Del nodded and left, ordering Dio to stay with Iden. A few moments later, they left the premises and didn’t look back.

<><><><><><><><><><>

“You’re sure about this?” Iden said, once they were safe, having fled to her mother’s old house. They didn’t have time to reflect on what all had gone on their, rather were just thankful that it could provide refuge.

”It’ll be fine. If you’ve got any problems, just mention Luke Skywalker.”

”Luke Skywalker?” Iden echoed. “Why him?”

”Well, uh, you know that cop I met a few weeks ago?”

”Yeah.”

Del just stared pointedly, and understood. Her eyes widened a bit, and she was hurt for a moment, but then she made the call. 

“My name is Iden Versio.” She said, and Del gave her a reassuring look. “I’m turning myself in.”

The police arrived in record time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact the defection scene in the video game was improvised and so I kinda took some liberties and combined a few of Hask's monologues. (I have them memorized, EIDETIC MEMORY GANG!!!!)


	27. Naboo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know miitary or air force divisions or how they would speak to each other.
> 
> I also don't know Shriv's canon rank ripppppp. I also don't know how to completely humanify him so I just made him look like his voice actor.
> 
> Yes I know Lando's a general but I had to police-ify it.

After being taken to the precinct, Del was upset not to see Luke Skywalker around. Instead, there was one officer who seemed too casual for his job and another who just stared at them with a frown on his face. Del wondered if he ever smiled as the officer with short buzz cut red hair glared at him behind a pair of giant red-lensed sunglasses. His partner, a man with dark skin and curly black hair, sauntered up to Iden and Del where they sat. Del was surprised they were no longer cuffed, although there were sitting in an interrogation room.

”Hello. I'm Sergeant Lando Calrissian."Said the friendly one. "So these are the two we’ve heard so much about.” He put his arms on his hips.

"I've already told the record everything I know." She had, and Del had as well, though they told their stories separately. Apparently, the police had been tracking criminal activity for weeks, and while Iden's father wasn't well known as a crime lord- well, he certainly would be investigated now. Iden did not want to be around when that happened. Calrissian just held a hand out for her to stop talking, and she did, but didn't sit back down. Del didn't know if it was a rule of self incrimination or what, and was a bit shocked when he turned to Del. 

"Del Meeko. Luke warned me about you."

"Oh yeah?"Del challenged. "What did he say?"

Iden cast Del a glance. She knew Del had a run in with the police, but she hadn't known it had been _Luke Skywalker!_

"Nothing too much. Just suspected that you'd come around eventually." Del wanted to interject, to know if Luke was here- the younger man had known Del was thinking of turning himself in, after he had bent the rules to contact Del through text message for a few exchanges after they'd met. But the officer just kept talking. "As for you, Iden Versio..." 

The other officer raised his chin and folded his arms across his chest, still taciturn, watching Del as his partner went on a list of what all Iden had told them about her father, how much she could corroborate, and how much she could potentially be charged with. Del's heart sank as he saw her shoulders slump. Jail time would certainly put a halt on the future... and any hope of normalcy they could have. But he and Iden had made a decision and would stick to it, because now there was a chance of her father being found out and stopped.

"Oh, don't look so defeated. You couldn't help what you didn't know you were doing." Lando Calrissian had to be one of the nicest officers Del had ever met. Or at least very understanding as he turned to his partner. "Go get their things, Shriv."

"What?" demanded the other officer.

"What?" Echoed Iden and Del, surprised.

"You're letting us go?"

"On probation. Just for a few days. You'll be taken to a safe house in case anyone comes looking for you. I may not know your father's Empire, but I do know gangs. Someone may try and off you for what you've done."

"Oh, fantastic."Iden murmured.

"Um, sergeant."Del's voice caught in his throat. He hadn't called anyone by that title, or been called that title in a long time. "This seems silly, but I have a dog-"

Calrissian laughed and waved his hand dismissively. "It's all taken care of." Then he walked off, and Iden and Del were alone in the windowless room. They looked at each other, and Iden finally sat back down. 

"Well.'Del said pleasantly."That went better than expected." 

"I was just thinking the same thing." Iden mused, looking out the direction the officers had disappeared. Then, slowly, she turned back to Del. "I still can't believe you met Luke Skywalker." Her accent changed as she slipped into Hindi, just in case anyone was listening for anything that would incriminate them more.

"The night we were told about Cade."Del responded, in Urdu. "I was loosened by the alcohol and I was stressed, and I told him everything. I don't know how or why he didn't come after us then."

Iden breathed out a sigh of disgust. "Well, they know now. And they're gonna take my father down."

"How long do you think we'll be watched?"

"I don't know." As Iden finished, the officer who had been called Shriv reentered, looking absolutely thrilled to be there. He held out Iden's backpack, making a safe assumption that the purple bag was hers, and turned towards Del like he was about to hand him his bag as well. Del reached out, and Shriv pulled it away slightly. 

"What's your story?"

"Iraq, two tours. Sergeant first class, 5th division." Del said tentatively. He had forgotten that his backpack was the same he had always used, with his dog tags and patches attached to it. 

"Air Force. Lieutenant Colonel, Squadron commander." Shriv's voice was gruff, like he didn't enjoy talking to people and used a lot of sarcasm. Seeming to approve Del's response, he handed him back his bag. "You two come with me. We'll take you to the safe house."

"How long do you think we'll have to stay?" Del asked Shriv as they filed out. The older man shrugged. Indoors, he had taken off his glasses and Del could see bright blue eyes. 

"Could be days. Could be weeks. Ultimately, we can't keep you. You're free to go at anytime after forty-eight hours if you want."

They had to check out with a front desk, the same place where they had given prints when they'd entered. Iden had never dealt with the police before, but they were certainly more thorough than she could have ever imagined. 

"These are the guys you want to work for?"She asked Del in Hindi, skeptically.

"Yes." Del wondered if that would be a problem. Hopefully not. Most of the ride was silent, with Shriv driving, and when they got to their location, he handed them some keys. 

"Here you go. That's the only copy, so you're safe. The red one's for the car." There was a generic looking SUV in front of the house, as well as another police car. They got out, and Shriv followed them aways up the walkway. 

"Lando may trust you, but if either of you try anything, I'll shoot you myself."

"Shriv, be nice."Came another voice. A familiar voice. Del turned and couldn't help a grin as Luke came up behind the older officer. "Hey, Del. Thought you'd miss this." He pressed a button and the trunk to his vehicle opened. Two dogs hopped out, the giant German Shepherd Del had met those weeks ago, and a slightly smaller, mostly black blur.

"Dio!" Del called as his dog bounded over and into his waiting arms. Luke's dog obediently sat next to his handler once Luke gave the command. 

"Real sorry everything happened this way, Del." Luke said after Shriv left, seeing his way off. "We don't have a lot of excitement around here, though, so your case does keep things interesting."

"Oh, well happy to oblige."

Iden watched the two men, smirking. It was rather obvious that Luke liked Del. Maybe even a bit of a crush.

"Oh, this is my girlfriend, Iden." Del introduced, and Luke looked a bit surprised, but just barely and for a very slight moment.

"I'm the reason he's dragged into this mess."Iden added, and stole the house keys from Del's hand before going to explore inside. It was a one story, like her mother's, and had two bedrooms, one was a master and the other had two bunk beds. Clearly it was a setup that was capable of entire families. Iden wondered if it had ever been necessary to use it for that purpose before. A couple moments later, she heard whining at the front door and let Dio in. He immediately set on a patrol of the place, wagging his tail slightly as he sniffed around every banister. Luke and Del moved their conversation indoors, and she watched amused as Dio tried to get Luke's older, bigger dog to try and react to him. It paid Dio no heed, until Luke leaned down, slipped off the bigger dog's vest, and released him from working for a bit.

"Go on, Artoo. I'm sure you two are best friends after that long car ride." 

The two dogs (although Dio looked nothing more than a puppy next to Artoo) bounded for the backyard and followed each other outside again.

Iden wanted to ask, to know how they trained dogs like that, so stoic one moment and playful the next, but there were more important things to worry about. It didn't matter, though, it was like Luke read her mind and began to answer anyway. "It's the vest. When it's on, he knows it's time to work."

"Why hasn't he got a real name, though?"

"Oh, I think of it as a real name, but he came to me late and his trained used nothing but his numbers and I never changed it. He doesn't mind."

"Now, what I'm wondering is..."Del leaned back a bit on the couch, and put his arms behind his head. "When other dogs see Artoo, do they think "oh, shoot, it's the cops?""

It was a bad joke, but the three of them laughed anyway. Luke seemed to have realized the relationship between Iden and Del and adjusted accordingly.

“I’ve gotta get back on my patrol, but the way it’s gonna work is that either me or Shriv will always be less than a mile away, patrolling the neighborhood. If you need anything, call us. If we suspect anything, we’ll come here with backup.”

”Shriv said we’re only obligated to stay her for a few days.” Del said. “Is that true?” 

“Forty-eight hours.” Luke agreed. “Past that is up to you.”

”Well, we are gonna need a new place, and as much as I loved my mother’s, we can’t move so far out of town.” Iden looked towards Del and communicated with him silently. 

“We’ll figure something out.” He said, to both her and Luke. “Thanks, man.” He and Luke shook hands and moved towards the back door. Luke slipped Artoo’s vest back on and the dog turned stoic again, even when Dio tried to nip at his ear. 

“See you.” 

“Good luck.”

Del turned back to Iden when Luke drove off. “Man. What a strange couple of days.” 

“I thought we were goners for sure.” Iden agreed. “Amazing that the police are helping us, instead of tossing us into prison.”

”They must _really_ want your dad.” Del said, wandering to the kitchen. It was stocked with a few non-perishables. “Think we’re allowed to run errands?”

Iden snorted a bit. “Not unless it’s with a police escort.” She tried to suppress a smile as Del’s stomach rumbled. It was past dinner and was dark outside, although they’d been “arrested” around four o’clock. 

“Oh, well.” Del poured some dry cereal into a bowl and began to eat it with his hands, too lazy for even a spoon. When he noticed her watching, he held out the bowl. “Want some?”  
  
“Cheerios? Really? You’re disgusting.” She went straight for the other box of cereal, to Cheerio’s sugary counterpart: good old Fruit Loops.

“You’re disgusting.” Del teasingly countered. “Eating all that sugar is gonna rot your teeth.”

”Yes, mom.” Iden rolled her eyes, and Del was glad she was joking with him. A few weeks ago she wouldn’t have been able to do that. 

“Hey, Del.” Iden said, hopping off of the counter and putting her empty bowl in the sink.

”Hmm?”

”So, there’s two bedrooms....”She began, twisting her hands. 

Del saw where this was going. “And one of them only has kids’ beds in it.”

”Yeah.” Iden knew that he was too big for a twin sized mattress, (his bed in their last two places had been a full size, and even that would be too small unless he curled up) but he would not make her sleep in there either.

”I can take the couch.” He said, at the same time Iden said “are you alright with sharing?”

They’d cuddled in the past of course, like on the couch while they watched a movie or that night after Del had gotten the news about his brother. It wasn’t like it was awkward, or unusual for boyfriend and girlfriend to share a bed every once and awhile. Or... all the time.

Dio looked between the two of them, whimpering as he placed his head on the floor and covered his nose with a paw. He may have been cringing at the tension. Very slowly, Iden walked to where Del leaned on the counter, stood on her toes, and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. He was still a moment, then tried to wrap his hands around her and hold her close, but she had just given him a peck and it was already over. 

“There isn’t anyone else I’d want to go on this journey with than you, Del. It’s just you and me now.”

He was still trying to comprehend the kiss, (if you could consider it that if he didn’t do it back?) and opened and closed his mouth a few times. “I love you, too.” He murmured, even if that hadn’t been what she’d said in the first place. 

Iden sighed contentedly and wrapped her arms tightly around him, pressing her cheek into his chest. Now, his arms wrapped around her. “You tired?” He asked.

”Yeah. I should be able to sleep now that I snacked a bit.”

”Even all that sugar?” He teased.

”I’ll crash.” Iden shrugged, and then looked down from his green eyes shyly. It hadn’t been right of her to spring a kiss on Del like that, even if it was just a peck, but it was worth it to see his face. He looked like a fish out of water. 

”I don’t think we need to worry too much tonight.” She said, gently sliding out of his grasp. Numbly he followed, and soon, he was holding her in his arms as they drifted off to sleep. 

It was much more comfortable than the couch had been.


	28. Seyn

It became difficult for Iden to sleep, even knowing she and Del were safe on their own, and in a new home nobody except their new and closest friends knew about. As Del had said he would, he applied for and was accepted into the ranks of the police with his military background. Iden was reluctant to support his decision, but had to admit she _did_ like the new uniform.

“I have still yet to see you in your dress uniform, though.” She said, referring to his zipped up Military one, hidden in the back of their closet.

”I’m saving it for a special occasion.” Del grinned, showing off his newly shaven and well chiseled jawline. He’d cut his hair, too, but it wasn’t as noticeable. Iden had helped him with that to ensure he didn’t go crazy and shave it off or something like he would for the military. Babies may cry when men shaved their beards, Iden would cry if Del ever shaved his head. 

“Sure you aren’t reconsidering?” Del teased when he saw her staring at him. The only thing too overly uncomfortable was the kevlar vest, worn underneath his clothes instead of over. “You meet most of the requirements, even that training stage would be easy for you.”

He was probably right. They had trained together (or in Del’s case, refreshed his memory) about a peak performance training course, which Del conquered with ease and Iden admitted it was just fun to watch him show off his strength. It was an impossible fact, but she was pretty sure his biceps had biceps, his six pack had a six pack and whatnot. 

In school days, Del would have been that kid who was the reason their government regulated fitness tests had limits. He had admitted that he and Elias would always be the two ones who kept the fitness gram pacer test going past one-hundred laps just for a bit of friendly competition.

”I’ll figure myself out one day. You get going.” She wasn’t going to be a lawyer anymore, she knew. That was her father’s road for her and she didn’t see why she had to follow it anymore. ”But Del? Stay safe.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” He offered a slight salute.  
  
At least his first few weeks would be relatively normal. Easy schedules, shifts, and he’d likely deal with nothing past a few traffic stops with whoever he was on patrol with. Iden hoped it was someone she also knew, and trusted, but didn’t know half the people in this new place.

In an alternate reality, where Hask, too, had seen the fault in staying bad, he may have ended up being Del’s partner, not just his brother in arms.

Was it wrong to dwell in the loss of her best friend? Yes, Iden had changed phones and blocked his number, but there were still memories about her. Inside her mind, she could recall instances from several years ago, even without an eidetic memory like Seyn. 

Del had said that he, too, had fond memories of Hask, even if he had betrayed him after calling him his brother. “He told me once, “let’s always be friends”. Obviously that particular comment didn’t age too well.”

Just like Iden would never forget Hask, she wouldn’t forget Seyn, either. 

“Good people get lost to terrible things.” Del said once, in a memory. “Sometimes we can’t save them, but we can stop the terrible things from happening in the first place.”

That had been one of the reason he had rejoined the armed forces, albeit domestically, and with a 9-5 work day instead of a 9 month- 5 year deployment.

Not one to be forgotten about, Dio snuck up beside her and nudged her with his nose, wagging his tail. He’d reached his full height, up to Iden’s knee his head, and was just small enough to still be able to fit comfortably in her lap when she sat down.

”You never met Seyn, did you?” Iden asked, talking to him as if he were a human. Dio hopped up and settled in her lap, sniffing the picture Iden had of the two of them. 

“Careful.” She warned, holding it just out of his reach. Realistically, she knew dogs couldn’t comprehend pictures, but she and Del liked to believe that Dio was smarter than he looked. Almost human. His tail swished back and forth softly.

“But you do remember Hask, right?” 

Dio had an almost visceral response. He tensed up and growled, hackles up. Iden smiled sadly and smoothed his fur back down. Iden began to stand up and he obediently jumped down, ready to follow, especially when she headed for the front door as if they were going out to the park. 

She had slipped his collar on and was about to open the door when her phone beeped. Only it wasn’t her phone, because when she pulled it out and looked at the screen nothing was there. 

It came again. The familiar text-tone of her old device.

”Hold on, Dio.” She instructed, and she sat at the door patiently as she began searching her and Del’s room for her old phone. It under some papers on her desk. She looked at the screen, and her heart leapt.

”Iden? Is it still you?”

At first she thought it was Hask, but it wasn’t his contact or his number. It was...

Oh. 

It was Seyn.

Iden’s hands trembled with excitement as she texted back. “Yeah, it’s still me. But I’ve got a new phone.” She waited a few moments and then her real primary cell beeped with Seyn’s message. Iden saved it.

”I miss you.” Seyn said, “And Del. And even Hask. You guys were my friends, and I’m so lonely now.”

Oh, Seyn. Iden bit her lip as she debated how or what to tell the girl. So she just said, “we all miss you too. When did you wake up?”

”A few months ago. I just had to get my bearings again before I could do some basic things.” Iden could hear the annoyance and slight embarrassment over text. 

“I still have your laptop. Your parents never asked for it back.”

The “message incoming” bubble appeared, then disappeared, then reappeared again. “That doesn’t surprise me.” Seyn sent. “Seems like something my parents would do.”

At the door, Dio whined impatiently and rung the bell to be let out with his paw. When Iden held up a “wait” finger to him, his tail swished and he rang it again like a disobedient kid.

”Can I call you?” She asked Seyn. “There’s so much I want to say, but I’m not sure if I can put it all into writing.”

”No. That wouldn’t work.” Seyn sent back. “I can’t hear anymore.”

Iden’s heart stopped. “What? Why not?” She asked stupidly. 

_Because I was in a car accident and it was your fault, and now I have brain damage!_

But Seyn wasn’t that mean. She launched into some explanation about temporal lobes and Brocca’s area, and whatnot. It took her about a minute to type it all out, and Iden headed out the door with Dio.

Iden wanted to ask if Seyn remembered anything from the crash, remembered that it was Iden’s fault. She remembered a bit, like the fact Seyn had been drinking a frozen red drink and the crash had spilled it all over her, making Iden think she was bleeding worse than she actually was. 

“I’m... I’m sorry, Seyn.” Iden sent after a moment of reflection. She had reached the park at the end of the street and sat on a bench while Dio ran off in search of something to bark at. Or maybe he’d try bringing back a stick that was much too big for him. 

“Don’t be.” Seyn sent back after an equally long moment. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Iden wasn’t thinking the straightest, so ended up asking if Seyn was planning on continuing to go to college. Really, she was disguising the fact that she wanted to know if Seyn would be coming back, even just for a visit. Iden wanted to see her with her own eyes.

To see what she’d done to her. 

“Yes, actually. Next fall.” 

“But... how can you? I thought you said you couldn’t hear anymore.”

”I’m getting hearing aids. And I can read lips. And I’m fluent in sign language.” Of course she was, and Iden made a mental note to start learning it too. 

And then, Seyn made Iden forget just how long it had been since their accident.

”This may sound odd, but I miss your mother too. She was nice to me, even when my own family isn’t.”

Iden grew sad so quickly that Dio dropped the stick he had found and immediately jumped up to comfort her, nuzzling her with his nose and clawing at her with his paws. 

She didn’t know how to tell Seyn the truth, so she just waited a while to see if anything else came up. On the other side, Seyn waited for the same thing, wondering if she’d made things awkward again. 

“My mother...”Iden began, then paused, rubbing her thumbs together before continuing. “She passed away the week of graduation.”

Another long pause. A much longer one. On the other side, Seyn gasped softly and tears filled her eyes.

”I don’t know what to say. I know you’re probably tired of hearing “sorry” so I’ll just wish I was there for you instead.”

”It’s alright.” Iden sniffed a bit, then typed more. “Knowing that you’re alright makes it a bit better. I didn’t hear anything about your condition and the last thing the doctors here said was that you wouldn’t wake up.”

It was true. Iden’s mother’s passing had been made worse because of what had happened to Seyn. But now, Iden really did feel a bit better.

”Could I come and visit you?” She wondered.

”I couldn’t ask you to do that. Come all the way out here?”

”Seyn, you know I would.”

”You have better things to do.” A smirk came across Seyn’s face as she abruptly added a joke into the conversation. “Like Del.”

Iden actually laughed at that. Now this was the Seyn she remembered. 

“Watch yourself there.” She warned. “Or you might just get what you ask for.”

”So you two are really still together?”

”Why, did you not expect us to be?”

”I’m just surprised he hasn’t proposed by now.” Seyn’s use of sarcasm over text was commendable, Iden had to admit.   
  
“It’s been a year and a half since we started dating, Seyn.”

”So?”

”You’re impossible.” Iden said back. “But Del’s going to be happy that you’re okay. He’ll want to come up and visit you, too.”

”I’ll see you when I go back to school. I’m sorry I missed graduation though.”

”Oh it wasn’t anything too special.” Iden shrugged.

They sent messages back and forth for the rest of the day, Iden hardly stopping to eat lunch or do any chores because she was so eager to hear something, anything, from the girl she saw as her little sister.

When Del got home, he found her on the couch with her knees pulled up under her, still typing away. 

“What sort of novel are you writing over there?” He joked, after getting down on a knee to greet an enthusiastic Dio. (He always went absolutely nuts anytime one of them returned from anywhere.) 

Iden stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his go to her waist. 

“I got some good news today.” She said.

”Oh, yeah?” He raised an eyebrow. “Care to tell me what it is?”

”Well, it’s a good thing we’re in a bigger house now, not the apartment or that safe house.”

”Hmm...” Del leaned down to kiss her. “Why’s that.”

”More room.” Iden grinned. “For someone.” 

Del’s face scrunched up in confusion and concentration, trying to figure out what she meant by that. “Who?” He ventured, eyes looking her up and down. They settled especially on her middle. 

When Iden realized what he was assuming, (and rightly so if she looked back on it, she hadn’t thought out her words too carefully) Iden made a strangled noise. “Del! Why would you even think that! We haven’t... we haven’t even... you know.” She trailed off, then hit him in his chest. “You’re as bad as Seyn was today!”

”Seyn?” Del asked. 

“Seyn.” Iden agreed. “She’s alive, Del, and she contacted me today. We’ve been talking all day.” She waved her phone in one hand.

”Oh, that’s-“ Del’s face lit up with excitement and happiness. “That’s wonderful! How- how is she?”

As Iden explained, his expression fell a bit, but when Iden further explained Seyn’s plans “nothing’s gonna stop her that easily!” The grin was back. 

“You’re right. That is good news!” He took a breath. “And here I thought you were pregnant.”

”Again, Del. We haven’t even slept together.”   
  
“I know. That’s why I was concerned.” 

She hit him again, this time with a playful smile on her face. 

“I’m going to go change before dinner.” Del told her and wandered off down the hall.

”Hey, Del?” 

He turned, halfway finished with unbuttoning his vest. “Yeah?”   
  
“Do you think I should tell her about Hask? She thinks he’s still with us.” 

That stumped him and his hands faltered. “Maybe not right now. Let’s be happy for a bit, Iden. Let’s all just be happy.”

They sure as hell deserved it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who’s back, back again.
> 
> I just....
> 
> I had to.
> 
> #seyndeservedbetter 
> 
> This is an AU anyway and you can FITE ME.


	29. Memories

Weeks passed, and the longer Del kept leaving and coming home with stories of all the good he was doing for the world, the more Iden thought of joining him on those front lines, instead of sitting around doing nothing. Besides, bills needed paying, and a single salary income with a bit extra from Iden's commissions only went so far as to paying the mortgage every month. Even Del's disability compensation with all its extra interest wasn't adding up to a lot. 

Besides, upon completion of the academy she would practically qualify because she had run the training course (or at least a variant of it) with Del before. She really enjoyed watching him show off his strength. 

Besides, summer was almost over, which meant Seyn would soon be coming back to stay with them in one of the spare bedrooms, of which there were two. One for Seyn, another for... someone else. 

On the night of a particularly nasty day for Del, which landed him and several other officers including Shriv in the hospital for various injuries, Iden decided that was the final straw.

“That’s it, Del. I’m going to have to join you out there if I want to keep an eye on you.” Iden scowled as she helped Del roll out his hurting shoulder. 

"It's nothing." He protested. "I've had worse." 

It was true. Iden had seen the scars from bullet wounds and places where he had received nonlethal knife wounds. All before he was thirty years old. "You're going to hurt yourself too much right now and be too beat up for kids, later."

"Ugh. Just the very thought of children makes my back hurt."He said sarcastically. It was a common argument Iden used, about hurting himself too much too early. The problem was that Del knew she was right, even if he wasn’t sure about Iden wanting kids.

"Shriv, you were supposed to take care of him." The other man, slightly older than Del, scowled playfully. After a few weeks of them working together it became clear that the older man was not nearly as quiet as Iden had first thought. With nobody else around, he was nearly always hanging around with Del and Iden on his off days.

"It's not my fault!" Shriv was in for a concussion and a sprained wrist. "I lost him with those long legs of his." Iden didn't doubt that, either. She knew how fast Del was.

"How's everyone else?" Del wondered, slipping into casual clothes. 

"Bumps and bruises. Nothing too bad. I guess the kevlar works." 

"Yeah, shame they didn't use such futile weapons in Iraq." Del said bitterly. "This was just some drunk guy with a gun who decided to shoot us."

"Sometimes that's all that it takes to do a whole lot of damage."Shriv shrugged, and Iden turned to him. 

"You gonna be okay, Shriv?"

"Yeah. I will. But if you don't hear from me tomorrow morning send help." 

"Alright, but we're taking you home." Del insisted. "Just to make sure you get there in one piece. Save a few bucks on an Uber."

"If you insist." Shriv grunted a bit with effort as Del helped him up from the bed next to his. 

"You think the shooter was connected to my dad?" Iden asked.

"Hmm, maybe."Del responded. "But then again, with your father's sphere of influence, it probably isn't too far off. We take him out, crime'll drop significally." 

"Definitely."Shriv agreed. "I'm telling you, just ten years ago life around here was so much more peaceful. Now we can only hope.”

”That works for some people, I guess.” Del shrugged as Iden scowled.

”Hope doesn’t save anybody.” She insisted. “It didn’t save me from my father when I was younger, so it won’t save us from him now. It didn’t save my mother, either.” 

“Yeah, well, maybe once you join our ranks we’ll have more of a chance.” Del pointed out as they walked. 

Shriv whirled. “What?”

”Yeah, I’m joining up. You guys need all the help you can get, and I’m the closest lead you have. If my father finds out I’m on your side, he’ll get sloppy. He knows I left, but he doesn’t know where I’ve gone.”

”And maybe there will be other people like us.” Del added.

”Yeah. We need more numbers. We’ve got one of the smallest departments in the country, but the highest concentration of Imperials to deal with.”

”Yeah, well, my father is from the area, and now he’s the boss. What did you expect?” Iden said as they reached the parking lot of the hospital affiliated with the precinct. 

“Worse.” Shriv admitted. “I’m just glad we took out their two big weapons depots. Now all we got to worry about is keeping more weapons out of their hands.”

”We’re still yet to recover some of the AKs.” Del climbed into the passenger’s seat of Iden’s car and crossed his arms. Shriv buckled in behind Iden. 

“All we need is one person. One person do what you two did and decide that your father’s operation is wrong, no matter how rich it makes them.” Shriv said, and groaned. “All this talk about terrorists is making my head hurt. I can’t see straight.” 

Iden and Del exchanged a glance, both having gone through concussions over the years. Silently they made a decision. “Yeah, I think you’re staying with us overnight.” 

“What!” He squawked. “Come on, guys-“

”We’ve got room, and you’re hurt, and you’ll thank us later when you are passed out in a bed instead of your kitchen floor!”

”Fine. I’ll remember this, Del. I outrank you-“

”Not right now, you don’t. We’re off duty, and I’ve had more concussions than you. Someone’s gotta watch you overnight, make sure you wake up in the morning.”

Shriv muttered something in a language neither of them understood. “Just don’t keep me up, you two. I know how sound carries in your house.”

Del flushed red, and Iden raised an eyebrow. But that was Shriv, making jokes like Seyn. Speaking of the younger girl, she was due back to school in just a few weeks, and Iden was keeping a mental countdown. 

By the time they reached the house, Shriv had passed out, and Del slung him over his good shoulder, carrying him easily even though Shriv was also quite big of a man, almost Hask’s size. 

Dio greeted them enthusiastically as he always did, but he especially liked new-er people like Shriv when they came to visit. He followed at Del’s heels all the way up the stairs to the spare bedroom, where he deposited Shriv and the man didn’t seem to react. 

“Should we just leave him? He’s still in full uniform.” Del asked, using his leg to keep Dio away from Shriv. 

Iden snorted. “Are _you_ gonna undress him?” 

“Fair point. He’ll be fine.” He turned to the dog. “Dio? Watch him. But don’t mess with him.” 

The dog tried to follow Del, but he turned around and repeated the command. Understanding now, Dio laid down in the center of the floor, facing Shriv.   
  
Del made a beeline for the kitchen after that, needing to get a snack before bed. Iden followed.

”You know, I meant what I told you back there. You worry me, Del. And I didn’t think you would but I ended up being very, very wrong.” 

“You’re acting like you haven’t also gotten hurt.” Del said. 

“I’m not denying that. Just- I- I love you, Del, and I’m tired of seeing the ones I care for get hurt. Or worse. Seyn, my mother... I wouldn’t be able to bear it if you were next.”   
  
“Nothing’s going to happen to me.” Del threw away the empty bag of pretzels and cleaned his hands. ”If something was supposed to, it wouldn’t happened by now. I would have never met you.” 

”And I may still be friends with Hask and be manipulated by my father. All things have a reason for happening.”

”You sound like Luke.” Del said. His friend had taken a long vacation to himself lately, and he hadn’t seen or heard much from him. 

“Sometime’s he’s right.” Iden shrugged. A few moments went by, and she crinkled her nose. “Go take a shower. You’re filthy, even if you changed already.”

”Or what?”

”Or you’re sleeping on the couch. Shriv’s got the only other bed and I’m not going to have you ruin Seyn’s.”

”Alright, I’m going.” Del made a big show of grumbling about it and dragging his feet, but then she heard the water running and began changing for sleep, satisfied.

A few minutes later (Del still took military fast showers) she was brushing out her hair while beside her, Del lifted his razor to his face as if to begin to shave, but then he hesitated, running his other hand over his chin. “What do you think. Should I try a beard for a bit, see how you like it?” 

“I feel like I’ve seen you with one before.” She said, after brushing her teeth. 

“Only in pictures.” Del shrugged and began shaving the hair on his neck and under his chin, knowing for sure he didn’t want any there.

”Don’t regulations say you can’t have one?” Iden said. 

“Not a big one. But if I just forget to shave for a few days, no-one will care.”

”I don’t know. I think I might care.” Iden frowned. “I guess I’ve just gotten too used to your handsome face.” 

With that, Del decided to shave it. She did have a point. And besides, if he got into the facial hair game, he’d start looking like his brothers. 

Iden had already turned off half the lights when he wandered back out of the bathroom, squinting a bit. She was pretending to be asleep already, but Del knew that even she didn’t fall asleep that quickly. 

“Hey, Iden?” He whispered from behind her into her shoulder. She hummed in response. 

“Nothing’s going to change, okay? Not anything from the state of my beard to whether I come home or not. You don’t need to worry.” 

She could feel his freshly shaved chin and his gentle lips softly touching the bare skin of her shoulder. It sent a bout of electricity down her spine and she shivered involuntarily. Suddenly, Del’s arms were around her, holding her securely in place against him, and she felt herself melting into his voice, along with his promises. She kept her eyes closed, but her eyelids fluttered as Del’s lips found her jawline, teasing her. 

“Del....” she murmured, and turned her head slightly, exposing her neck again, letting him know where she wanted to go. 

With Del, kissing on the lips wasn’t as big or as romantic a deal as it was for others. She’d got him a few times on the lips, but always quick and he never retaliated in the same. 

“Yeah?”

She shuddered again, as his hand began tracing circles on her belly. Feeling a bit needy (and a lot risky), Iden guided his hand under the hem of her shirt, gasping with pleasure when his rough hands found her soft skin. Somehow, it still felt good. 

”Hmm, is that what you wanted?” He asked, and kissed just below her ear. Iden squirmed, biting her lip, nodding slightly. One of her legs curled around his at his knee. 

“I’m not going anywhere.” He repeated. 

“Good. Because you’d better be damn sure I’m not letting you out of my sight.” 

_Besides, where else am I going to find me a man who treats me like this?  
_

It was as if Del had heard her thoughts, and smiled against her skin. “I love you, too.” Her murmured, and Iden knew that he meant everything he had promised. 

His arms wrapped just a bit tighter around her, and then he was snoring softly, Iden soon following.

They slept for most of the night, until they heard a large sound like a crash and Dio yelping. 

“I bet Shriv rolled off.“ Del said, frowning.

“Or he was trying to get to the bathroom.” Iden groaned, just as annoyed.

”I’d better go check on him.” Del wandered off to take care of their friend, leaving Iden disappointingly cold. 

When she woke up in the morning, though, Del was there again, holding her close, never to let her go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 17 of me trying to figure out when Del grew the beard we see him in in Resurrection.


	30. Seyn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seyn is a smol bean teenager and will make jokes as such. Iden and Del brought it upon themselves.
> 
> Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

Iden waited for Seyn at the airport. Her friend, who she had come to love as a sister. 

As the time ticked by and she didn’t see Seyn, even if the plane had long since landed and other passengers had disembarked.

Just as Iden was about to send her a message, she saw her.

Seyn was still small. So small in the crowd, but her personality would make up for it, based on how she had talked to Iden over text. A grin widened on Iden’s face as she surged forward and hugged her.

Seyn's hair had grown out. It was still short, but reached almost to her shoulders. Iden could see the faintest scar on her temple, barely hidden by bangs, and she could indeed see the red hearing aids Seyn had talked about getting behind her ears.

"I missed you so much."Iden said, squeezing gently. Seyn was squeezing harder, and Iden felt one of her tears on her neck. It seemed like forever since they had hugged, and Seyn was just happy to be "home". As she'd explained to Iden, school had been her chance to get away from things, and having to go back and live with her parents again had been difficult. Not Garrick Versio level difficult, but they weren't very understanding of Seyn, nor did they truly seem to care for her very much. Iden had ever been her only friend, and Del the only positive male role model in her life.

"You can hear me, right?"

"Your voice is so much clearer, now." Seyn said as they parted. "Now that it's not through the phone."She glanced around a bit. It was the middle of a weekday, and the airport wasn't too crowded. "You didn't skip work for me, did you?"

"I never worked in the first place."Iden said. "My application is still being processed at the precinct. I guess being the daughter of a convicted felon makes them a bit skeptical of you. Del's working, though. You probably won't see him until the morning."

"So it's just us?"

"Just us."Iden agreed, trying to shove the memories of what had happened last time she had been alone and in charge of Seyn had been. "We'll go and get you settled in, and then we'll do whatever you want. I mean it."

"I want to meet this Dio of yours. I've only seen him in pictures."

"Oh, he's Del's dog. I just kind of stole him. But he loves new people." Iden began walking towards baggage claim. "Did you have anything else or-"

"That's it right there."Seyn pointed and Iden lifted off an awfully small suitcase, but didn't question too much. "Hey, Iden?"

"Yeah?"

"You... You haven't talked about Hask yet. Did something happen?" Finally, the girl wanted to add. She didn't like him too much anyway, except when he was being somewhat brotherly towards people that threatened her.

"You could say that."Iden said carefully. "A lot happened, Seyn, and you'll understand soon. I don't want to talk about it right now, but just know that Hask isn't around anymore."

Seyn may have been bad at reading people, but she understood. "Okay. No talking about Hask. Got it." The more she talked, the more Iden realized that her voice had lost some of the pleasant treble of the years before, now somewhat lower and with a slight lisp. Guilt gnawed at Iden's heart, but she managed to keep smiling. 

"I know you don't like surprises, Seyn, but we did move houses. We managed to get most of our stuff back." _Even though Hask was a devious little bastard and changed the locks so we had to break in while he was gone to finally move everything,_ "So I tried to remake your room as best I could. Only, we aren't sharing anymore, and you'll have your own bathroom."

"The change of going back home will easily be worse than anything I have to do now." Seyn said bitterly. "But if we aren't sharing, that means you're sleeping with Del now?"Seyn asked with a look that meant she knew exactly what words she had used and had no regrets. Iden was now trapped, and gave her an equally suggestive look.

"Yes. I am. But not like that."

"It's a good thing I can't hear when I sleep, then."Seyn said anyway, just to get another jab in. Iden just shook her head.

"You're impossible."She complained sarcastically. But she loved it.

They reached Iden's car, still joking together, and Iden was hit with a sudden sense of dread after she had put Seyn's bag in the back and gotten into the driver's seat. Seyn noticed.

"It wasn't your fault, and the chances of it happening are equal for anybody. It could have been Del in the car, or Hask, or mybe someone else was driving while you were in the passenger's seat. You can't account for idiots."

"But _I_ was the idiot."Iden tried to insist. "I almost killed you." 

"But you didn't." Seyn insisted. "and it's alright. I have forgiven you so many times over, and now you just need to do the same for yourself."

So, Iden did, and pulled out of the parking space and onto the road. It was so good to have Seyn back, and all the horrors and guilt of the past were finally behind her as they chatted the way home, making small talk.

"What are you going to do now, Seyn?" Iden wondered. "Still going for biology?"

"Almost. I was thinking of going pre-med instead. I'd like to be a doctor if I could. I think I'd be good at."

"Well, considering those diagrams of every bone, vein and artery in the body that you made, I suppose you'll be good at it. What kind of doctor?"

"Still not sure. Maybe just a surgeon? If my hands stop shaking all the time, that is. If not that, maybe a neurologist. I think I just want to help people like me." 

"So you've still got your memory, then?"

"Minus a few weeks before and after waking up, yes." Seyn cringed. "But I could hear things in the coma, however long that was."

Iden heaved a silent sigh of relief. A few weeks before and after. Seyn didn't seem to remember the traumatic events of Sadori's death, and she also seemed to not have heard about the scandal with her father, and thus Hask.

They soon arrived home with only a detour to get a celebratory milkshake. The whole time, Iden found it hard not to smile, and several times Seyn would just look at her and she'd grin again, wider, so much that her face hurt, like Del tended to do when he was happy. Seyn may have been right and they really were rubbing off on each other.

"Wow. It's a house, now." Seyn commented.

"Yep! No more having to climb a ton of stairs, except these few leading to the door."

Seyn was okay with those, of course. As soon as Iden reached for the handle, she could already see Dio waiting on just the other side, his tail swishing back and forth and ears perked up like he knew someone new was coming.

"Now he may try to jump, but his nails are trimmed and he doesn't bite. Well, unless he has reason to." Iden opened the door and Dio sat patiently, even though he looked ready to spring into action. "Behave."Iden warned him, and he cocked his head before Seyn came in the door. Her face lit up, and she was almost immediately kneeling down and petting him. 

_A least it looks like Dio will have someone to look after him so he's not alone during the day,_ Iden mused, _and someone else to bother when there's a thunderstorm and he gets scared._

The dog was clearly enjoying the attention. For someone who'd never had a pet before, Seyn seemed very good with animals. "Do you want to see your room?" Iden asked "I want to know if I got it right."

"Sure." Seyn made sure Dio was following (he was, just brushing up the side of Seyn's leg to keep close to her), and Iden showed her up the stairs where her room was. The master bedroom she and Del shared was downstairs, and upstairs on its own was Seyn's room, with the bathroom next to it and the guest room next to that, all three opening into the upstairs living room area. Seyn seemed a bit disappointed at being so far away from the rest of the house, but then made a joke about appreciating it when Iden and Del were up to no good in their bedroom. 

The bed was in a corner with the window over it, just like back in the apartment, and there was still a desk on the other side. Iden hadn't been joking about keeping it the same, down to finding the same kind of sheets and comforter. Even Seyn's old laptop was waiting for her on the desk, complete with all the new upgrades and whatnot from Del's skillful hands.

"I know I banned you from the case before, but I think Del and I may need your help now."Iden told Seyn as she opened up the screen skeptically. Then Seyn looked at Iden in a new regard. "What changed? Is it because I'm an adult, now?" 

"Nice try."Iden smirked. "You're almost seventeen. I didn't forget your last birthday." In fact, there were a few wrapped presents waiting for Seyn on her bed that she said she would open up later when Del was around. 

"Did I see a piano in the game room?" 

"Just a keyboard, but yeah." Iden grinned. "Why? Have you picked up a new hobby while you've been gone?"

"No, but, I have been interested in trying, especially after listening to music was basically all I ever did while lying around in a worthless state." She looked to where Iden pointed, at the keyboard's headphone jack. "This will make it a bit easier. And now it won't be annoying."

 _As if anything you could ever do is_ _annoying_. Iden wanted to say, but didn't, because there were a _few_ things. Like the teasing. And maybe sometimes, _sometimes,_ Seyn's endless knowledge could get to be a little much. 

"And that's the office?"Seyn asked, pointing to a door that was on the other side of the game room next to the stairs. 

"Yeah. But Del's the only one who seems to use it, so it's more of his man cave. I catch him playing Minecraft from time to time, and when he makes me angry I just threaten to delete his favorite world."

"You absolute breaker of hearts." Seyn said, lightly touching a key on the keyboard. "Doesn't this remind you of your mother?"

"In a good way." Iden clapped her hands a bit. "So. do you need to get settled in or should we go and do something? Anything you want. It's yours."

"What I want is to know more about this case." Seyn said. "Why are we looking for your father now? Does it have to do with Hask and why he's gone?" At Iden's expression Seyn cringed a bit and wrung her hands. "Sorry. I didn't mean..."

"It's alright, Seyn, I shouldn't have brought it up if I'm not going to talk about it yet. I'm going to wait for Del, so please try to forget about it, just for another day or so."

"Okay. I'll try." There was a silent moment between them. "I can think of something I want to do."

**< ><><><><><><><><><><>**

When Del wandered home that night knowing that Seyn was there, part of him expected the house to be empty even this late because he knew Iden had a whole list of things she was going to do when Seyn got here. 

He was surprised, however, when he opened the door and Dio didn't come running for him like a crazed kamikaze ball of fur. He heard the jingle of his collar and the sound of his tail thumping on something, but still nothing as Del took off his boots and hung up his belt and vest. That was when he realized the TV was on upstairs. That may have been why he'd gotten a request to change the password to one of their streaming services.

The smell of popcorn lured him upstairs after he'd changed into a plain shirt and pajama pants. Yes, there was indeed popcorn, as well as what looked like a Disney movie playing on the big screen. 

"She told me she'd not had a real childhood. I though, what's the biggest craze for kids today?"

"I like it." Del said, sitting down beside her and snagging some popcorn. It was a bit stale since it had been cooked around dinner time. "How long has she been asleep?"

"Since halfway through Lion King 1 1/2, and after we went out riding bikes for a couple of hours." Iden glanced fondly at Seyn, who had fallen asleep against her shoulder and then fallen to rest against her thigh. Dio had wedged himself between the couch and Seyn's legs, and Del found himself getting a tiny bit jealous. But, at least they knew Dio wouldn't be a problem.

"You want me to take her to her room, or-" Del wondered, but Iden was already shaking her head. "I'm careful, and I knew eventually you'd come up here so _I_ would have someone to lean on." 

He just chuckled and slid his arm around her as she did just that. "Any news for today?"

"Well."Del began, taking a moment to chomp down on another handful of popcorn. "Leia wants to see you tomorrow, so I figure it's either something about your dad or your application."

"I was just telling Seyn about that."Iden mused. "Look, if it doesn't work out-"

"It will. It just takes a bit of time is all. We're all on your side. At this point, it's just a formality." He lowered his voice, even if Seyn couldn't hear. "Have you told her, yet?"

"No. I was going to wait for you. Just in case I couldn't finish."

Seyn stirred, and Del leaned forward to get a good look at her. "Her hair's gotten longer." He commented. 

"Look,"Iden gently slid back Seyn's bangs to reveal her forehead and the faint scar. "She told me they had to do surgery on her." 

"But she's alright, Iden. Remember that." Del said softly, and Iden hummed as her eyes closed. Del set down the bowl of popcorn and muted the TV. 

He wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but he woke up to Dio's whining and nudging his hand. Iden and Seyn were gone, and Del could smell breakfast being cooked downstairs. Iden's culinary skills had improved considerably over the months so her food was now actually fit for human consumption, but Del always ate without complaint anyway, given that it could always be worse-he could still be eating army rations.

Seyn was sitting in one of the stools on the other side of the bar finishing off a plate while Iden cooked more food. "Hey, Del!" She chirped, and he put on a smile on his face just for her as he approached her for a hug. 

"I heard you got in yesterday, sorry I missed you." He apologized.

"Don't be sorry, you had work. And besides, I doubt I would have bonded with Dio as well if you'd been here to keep him jealous." 

Del continued on to hug Iden, and snuck a kiss to her cheek when he thought Seyn wasn't looking. He caught her just in time to see her drop Dio a bite of egg, though, and wondered if he was ever going to get him back. Dio was clearly smitten with Seyn.

"I know you two probably had an entire welcome home party planned for me, but I want to know what the deal is. Where's Hask, why's Iden's dad wanted criminal number one, and if I may have just moved back into a warzone." All sarcasm was gone, Seyn was deadly serious.

"Well, Del and I caught my dad trying to smuggle enough weapons to wipe out the city and confronted him about it. Hask turned into a freaking psychopath and took his side, and now we're hoping never to see him again, because for all we know he's now my father's right-hand man." Iden spoke fast and by the end, angry tears threatened to fall. "Did I miss anything, Del?"

"Only the part where he tried to kill us." Del slid an arm around Iden's waist and turned to Seyn. "We're both fighting actively now. But if you could use your skills to find out anything you know, the end could be here a _lot_ faster."

"Got it. Shouldn't be too hard around everything else I've got going on." Seyn was alarmingly calm even with this new information. "I'll help however I can. Besides, how many sixteen year olds can say they helped fight the Russian mob?"

"I mean, Iden's father is actually Italian, but same concept."Del grunted softly when Iden elbowed him and he shut up. 

"If she's gonna be helping us, we should probably take her to Leia so she knows what's going on. Maybe Seyn can help out the technical analysts a bit."

"Who's Leia?" Seyn interjected.

"Our head of police." Iden told her. "I'm due to meet her today, probably about my job, and you may as well come to. Heck, we all may as well all go, and do something fun afterwards." 

"Oh!"Del had an idea. "Seyn, have you ever gone bowling?"

"Nope." Then both Del and Seyn looked towards Iden. Even Dio looked like he was pleading a bit. 

"Why do you think I need convincing? This was _my_ idea." 

"Alright. Let's change into something more suited for meeting the commissioner, and then be on our way."

Seyn went off, leaving Iden and Del alone in the kitchen. "You know," Del said. "If we bring Seyn along, Shriv's going to have a field day."

"Oh, I know."Iden said back. 

“I'm looking forward to it."


	31. Bespin

Iden had been right about Seyn attracting attention. Heads turned as soon as she walked in between Del and Iden, and they all sat down outside Leia's office. Somewhat out of place with all the computers and dispatch stations there was a chess table outside the door where they waited, and after catching Seyn glancing at it Del and she were soon engrossed in a game while Iden scrolled through her phone, looking through any news about... well, anything, really. Anything that could help them take down her dad.

They heard footsteps and someone said "woah,"as all three of them looked up. Shriv had stopped in his tracks and looked from Seyn to Iden, then Iden to Seyn, and then to Del at one point, then back to Seyn. Common sense was the only thing that kept him from making a joke about Seyn being their daughter, because Iden would have been around five years old when Seyn was born. 

'Uh, I didn't know you had a sister, Iden."Shriv muttered, blinking his large blue eyes.

"This is Seyn."Iden introduced, not denying it and making Seyn smile a bit. "She's been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work for us when we let her. Now that she's back, we may catch my father yet."

"We all certainly hope so." Shriv looked into Seyn's dark eyes, saw the youth but also the maturity housed there. "How old are you, kid?"

"Almost seventeen." Seyn said back, studying Shriv right back. His voice was slightly rough and accented through her assisted ears but ultimately he sounded almost.. 

Shriv muttered again, in his own language, and Iden and Del both held their breath and waited to see if Seyn would react. Del coughed into his fist as Seyn opened her mouth and spoke right back at Shriv, in a language Iden could only consider as harsh as Del speaking angrily in Arabic.

A couple of officers around them smirked and snickered as they heard Shriv try and recover his shock. Finally, he just shook his head and walked away. 

"What did he say?"Del asked. 

"He thought I was too young. I said that I'll be careful, and it's only illegal if I get caught." Seyn looked very pleased with herself. "I didn't think I'd ever find someone from the British Isles around here."

Now Iden laughed. "You're kidding, right? There's no way Shriv's from there."

"Come on, Iden,"Del laughed too, "it makes sense, you've heard his accent when he gets really angry, and I'll admit he has an affinity for beer."

Iden almost retorted with a jab towards Del but was stopped as the door to the office opened and Leia called her in. Seyn and Del both gave her "good luck" smiles as she stood and slipped inside. The commissioner, Leia Organa, was not a very imposing woman, she was a head shorter than Iden and only slightly more muscular than someone like Seyn. But Iden did not doubt her for a second. Couldn't, with the woman's reputation.

Anyone who threatened her father's Empire easily earned Iden’s respect.

Iden saw a file with her name on it on Leia's desk, and for the slightest moment, she actually panicked. But she stood at attention and made sure to look Leia respectfully in the eye, even if the other woman was younger than her.

"Iden Versio." Leia began, circling back around her desk. "You are the daughter of Garrick Versio, am I correct?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"The very man we're trying to bring down?"

Iden felt that if she were to open her mouth she'd say something stupid or make a fool of herself, so she simply nodded and bit her lip. 

"And the entire reason you have anything to do with the police is because you turned yourself in after admitting to being part of one of his dealings on the black market." Leia went on. Of course, Del had likely been interrogated like this and he ended up just fine. But then again, Del hadn't been actively involved-he'd left as soon as he realized what was happening and earned her father's fury long before then for similar acts in the past.

"That is...Also right, ma'am. I followed my father's instructions out of fear, but there's still no excuse for it."

"Out of _fear?"_ Leia reiterated. "You can be honest with my, Iden. You also did it because he was your father, am I correct?" 

"He was all I had left."Iden admitted. "And my mother said-" Iden choked up a bit but refused to show any physical signs of distress. _Versios don't cry._ "She said that if I didn't respect my father she would consider herself a failure. I couldn't do that to her."

"Needless to say, you've done a lot of damage to us, but I can tell by the actions of both you and Del, too, that despite your pasts, this fight means something to you." The head of police looked at Iden and made a decision, moving the file to a small stack on her desk. She stamped it with a green mark.

“Welcome to the team.” Leia stood up and shook her hand, and Iden beamed as she said, “thank you, ma’am.”

Then Leia asked her to open the door and let Del and Seyn in. Leia looked a bit startled of the resemblance between Seyn and Iden but recovered.

“So this is your friend you told me about?” 

“Seyn Marana.” Seyn said quietly after Del gently nudged her forward. She had the most confident look about her even with all the danger around her. 

“She was actually the one who discovered that my father was up to no good.” Iden recalled. 

“Well, Del helped.” Seyn said humbly. She seemed slightly amused by the fact that she was taller than Leia, if only by an inch. 

“I hate to see you dragged into this so young, but it seems to me that you’ve already been involved. Keep doing what you’re doing.” 

“Yes, ma’am.”

”We may have a lead.” Leia went on. “My, uh.... husband, is chasing it right now.” 

Iden gasped softly. _We have a lead. Somehow, Del and Shriv were right._

 _”_ If all goes according to plan, we will soon have this Paldora under watch, like you two were for a time under my brother’s suggestion.” Leia’s eyes lost some of their determined expression when she spoke of Luke. Only Del noticed, and his face fell as well. Iden was busy searching her mind and Seyn’s eye for the name Paldora. Seyn shook her head. “Don’t know him.” She whispered in Hindi.

They left the office after that, and Leia promised to keep them informed and to get Iden her uniform and start her at the end of the week, which was exciting to say the least. It was good to know Iden wouldn’t be getting tased and pepper sprayed for nothing in the training.

“Who won the game?” Iden whispered, referring to the chess match they had started while waiting.

”Seyn.” Del wasn’t the least bit offended, nor Iden the least bit surprised.

They walked out all together, after running into Shriv again, who still gave Seyn a look and kept going on his way. 

“I like him.” She said with a grin. 

“That’s good, because you’ll be seeing a lot of him. He’s easily one of our best friends.”

”How’d that come about?”

Del told the story, about the taciturn partner of the overly friendly Calrissian, and the time they’d spent in protective custody. 

“Guess he just kind of stuck.” Del shrugged in the end.

”Good friends tend to do that.” Seyn agreed, and gave them both a grin. Iden almost startled, even if she'd seen her do it before. But, now she noticed something new.n

Seyn looked just like Zeehay Versio when she grinned.

<><><><><><><><><><>

The next time Iden was called into Leia's office, she had been on active duty for weeks, following leads along with Del and Shriv that never seemed to end up anywhere, (except for the day they had gone and caught up with Captain Solo to take care of Paldora). Seyn did what she could behind the scenes, but wasn't successful either, and besides, pre-med was taking up a lot of her time. 

She was on a break at the precinct, waiting for her patrol to begin when a call came in over her radio. Immediately, Iden was on alert- The call was about her father, and that a group of his men had been caught frequenting an old warehouse, possibly a place to store all their illegal substances and meet with the black market traitors.

"A drug bust?" Del said cockily, pretending to exaggeratedly yawn and stretch. "This'll be just like the old days."

"Easy for you to say. All I've been doing is handing out tickets and dealing with people trying to get out of a ticket by flirting." Iden shivered. "Not a fun times."

"Well, hey, at least it isn't a ten mile trek through the desert with a dozen layers and a forty pound pack on your back." 

The radio crackled and Shriv's voice came through. "I'm going to have to take the two of you flying and parachuting one day. Then we'll decide who's got it the roughest." 

"No thanks, Shriv, I've jumped out of a plane before. It's why I have a bad knee." Del jabbed back, rolling said knee in the limited space the car allowed him to. It was clear the police cars were not designed for the comfort of a man over six foot three, much less with legs as long as Del's. It was part of the reason he preferred his partner, whoever it may be, to drive.

"You guys go in and scope it out. Quiet like. I'll be behind you soon."

"Yes, sir." They said in sync. 

"Part of me wishes this could be the end."Iden admitted after they'd closed the channel so nobody could hear them. "But I'm not too hopeful. If we catch anyone, it won't be anyone important."

"Don't be so pessimistic."Del chided. "Every little bit helps. And once it's over... who know what may happen. I, for one, will request a few of my vacation days and celebrate the first time my fighting has ever accomplished anything."

"What do you mean?"

"I fought in Iraq for several years. The war had begun before I joined, and it's still going on now. At least here, when we get your dad, something will be over, and it'll have been because of us."

"And what would you like to see happen then?"

"I dunno."Del shrugged as Iden turned a corner close to their final destination. There was fog in the air, as the temperature of the night changed. "There's this woman I really like. You may even say I love her."

"Oh, really?" Iden asked, pretending like she was interested. She always enjoyed it when Del flirted with her, but especially when he did it like this. The fact that they would cuddle extra afterwards was just a bonus.

"I think she's the most beautiful woman on God's good earth."Del continued. "And I really, _really_ love it when she smiles."

Iden ducked her head to hide her grin. _This is why they should never let us patrol together. I need to stay focused._ _But-_ "She sounds like a very lucky woman."

"I certainly hope she feels that way." Del finished, staring out his window. "I'd like to marry her someday."

Iden slammed on the brakes. Del was afraid he'd gone too far, but them realized that Iden seemed to not even have heard his last comment. "We're not even at Chinnok, yet but I'm already seeing suspicious activity."

"Shriv said to be quiet about it."Del reminded her, biting his lip.

"Yeah, but he's not here yet. Come on, we'll be safer on foot rather than trying to hide the car."

Del had to be careful not to slam the car door where they parked, off to the side of an abandoned building across from the dock's warehouse. He followed Iden, instinctively, watching her back at all times. 

"I don't like this."He murmured when she finally stopped behind a corner and peeked around it. Slowly, they both unhooked their holsters, but didn't yet remove their guns. They wouldn't make the first move, police or no. 

"Del!"Iden tugged on the sleeve of his shirt and forced him to turn around. "Look! It's-"

"Hask..."Del growled, flashing back to all the terrible things he had said and done about Iden. And now...

He had officially turned. He was now their enemy.

Gideon Hask was in charge of a simple restocking operation, that was half a trap for the local law enforcement. In particular, his old friends Del and Iden. In a flurry of motion, he was suddenly looking right at them, and Iden and Del ducked back. Hask narrowed his eyes in their direction but found nothing there. Just in case, he thought it was a good time to leave, and let the others take care of what needed to be done here, especially if the police were beginning to show up.

 _Let yourself be seen,_ Hask reviewed Admiral Versio's instructions. _But don't let yourself get caught. You're my most valuable weapon, Hask, and I won't lose you like that pathetic daughter of mine. A disgrace to the family name._

 _No sir,_ Hask told the man who he saw as a father _I will not fail you._

"We can't let him get away!" Iden hissed, even if it was an obvious statement and Del agreed wholeheartedly. He itched to get back at the younger man, to even finish what he had started before, but knew that he would not allow himself to kill Hask. Either because of his conscious or because of Iden's similar feelings towards her former best friend, he would not be the one to take Hask's life.

"He's leaving."Del said in warning, pointing to where Hask was indeed slinking through the men he had with him. Del's military-geared mind supposed they numbered about to a small platoon. "We should wait for backup."He warned. "There's too many of them, and who knows what they have orders to do with us. Or _anyone_ they capture."

"I'm going to sneak around and get Hask."Iden declared.

"Iden, no-"Del was cut off by his own instincts. He whirled around just as the two gang members came up behind them, flashing knives and going for Iden and Del. Now, Del knew Iden had self defense classes, and he'd seen her in the combat training, and he's also been on the receiving end of some of that combat training, but it still made him wonder if she was up to it-

His question was answered as soon as he saw her grab one of her attacker's wrists, dance around them, and force him to the ground. Seconds later he was sliding to the ground, unconscious.

Del took out the other attacker in a similar fashion, though his was bigger and more stubborn and he ended up having to hold him in a choke hold. A single move, and Del could snap his neck. 

But he didn’t. He wasted a precious 20 seconds also knocking his man unconscious. 

The firefight began when someone noticed that two of the men were gone. Hask fled, and Iden cursed as she saw him and several others drive away safely. 

“Did you get ‘em?” Shriv wondered over radio. 

“No.” Del responded, “but we’ve almost captured the warehouse. We’re thinking of putting it out of commission permanently.”

”Better check with the fire department on that one. And we could use those weapons for ourselves-“

”Not worth it.” Del interrupted in a gruff voice. Shriv couldn’t see his eyes narrow, but they did. “I’m never touching a weapon of that caliber again.” 

“Okay.” Shriv said. “I’ll see you two in a minute.” 

It was a small blessing that the warehouse was on its own and abandoned and easy to contain so that no civilian was hurt. The fire was small, and any bad guys who were left were dragged to safety and cuffed, and a carpool of police cars awaited them to take them to jail. Iden and Del were each covered in sweat and soot and smelled like smoke from the fire, but were determined to watch it burn for as long as their eyes would allow it.

Iden turned to Del through tear-filled eyes and grinned at his sweaty hair and dirty face. He looked gruff, and she quite enjoyed it. If not for needing to stay professional she may have even put her arm around him because she couldn’t wait until their shift ended and midnight to touch him. 

But she refrained.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t talk to him. 

“So, that woman you want to marry?” She asked, and watched him run a hand through his hair to try and recover some of it. 

“Oh, yes. Her.” Del said, grinning. “She’s going to be very happy when I get home tonight. She _hates_ the Empire.”

”I’m sure she does.” Iden said. “With good reason, too.”

”Her father told her she was worthless and pathetic.” Del went on, scowling a bit. “I hope I’ve shown her that she means more to me than anyone ever has, and that she’s the strongest woman I know. She could kick my ass, and I’d love every moment of it.”

”Oh, would you now?” Del had almost tricked her into becoming angry in the first half of that last paragraph, she wasn’t going to lie. Now, Iden was smirking with a raised eyebrow, doing her best to keep her eyes open. But the torrent of tears began to come relive her stinging eyes. “Let’s get out of here, Del. We can talk later.”

As she walked off, sauntering slightly and climbing into their patrol vehicle, the last in the area, Del hesitated a bit longer. A thought came to his mind.

_I wonder if she’ll say yes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My take on the flirting as Bespin is almost as good as the original.
> 
> Del is such a lovesick loser and I love him.


	32. Jakku

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was by far one of the hardest scenes to translate over. In fact, I had no choice but to cut some of it out, like the parts where it was only Shriv and Iden going around.

"We've got him, then."

Iden, Del and Shriv all looked rather proudly at the map they’d concocted of the precinct. On it were several markers of where her father’s men had recently stirred up trouble, and Del (and unofficially, Seyn) had together worked on finding patterns. 

“And they all revolve around...” Del pointed his finger into the center. “Here. This spot.”

“How’d you figure that out?” Shriv wondered.

”Triangulation. I learned it in the military.” Del said. “It worked. Most of the time.”

Iden looked at him, a bit impressed. Shriv was still a bit skeptical. “I used it too. Mixed results.”

”But it makes sense.” Iden pointed out. “Only someone like my father would be operating like this, right under our noses.” _Right under mine,_ she really meant but didn’t say.

Del still held his finger in place, when suddenly a call came. “All available units to Jakku.” Blared the radio. 

Shriv and Iden looked at Del. He lifted his finger and looked at the name of the city it had been covering up. 

Jakku.

”Well, let’s get going!” He said, a bit smug, and the three of them rushed from the room.

As current assignments were, Shriv and Iden were in one car and Del in another, since Del was not officially on call at the moment. He had to get into full uniform and join later. Besides, technology and map reading were more his skills anyway, and he'd be more useful if he wasn't necessarily in the fight.

"All available units, huh?" Iden said. "This must be it. The real deal."

"Yeah..."Shriv hesitated a moment at the wheel. "This isn't your house we're headed to, is it?"

"No. Vardos is far away from here. technically, this isn't even within our jurisdiction. Do you think Leia realizes this?"

"At this point, we probably just need all hands on deck."Shriv supposed. "Stuff like this has happened before, like back a couple years ago when we busted that other place."

"And now, it makes sense as to why my father was so mad." Iden said.

_"All units, alert! We have shots fired. I repeat, shots fired!"_

Shriv roughly shoved the car against a curb and the two of them spilled out, guns already drawn as they went into the fray. Their enemies had guns, like the kind that Del was afraid of. Flamethrowers, and explosives. The police were huddled behind their open doors, firing back when possible. 

There wasn't a warehouse this time, instead it was an oddly placed office building, in a mostly deserted town where a shootout had begun after a black market deal had been busted in the loading area.. Iden had known about her father having other places where he lived or worked, but she'd only ever lived in the house in Vardos as well as her mother's in Svaaha. She had never really looked into where her father's wealth came from when she was younger, but now... now it all made sense.

Shriv listened into his personal radio for a moment. "Iden. We have confirmation that your friend and your father are inside."

"So we get him."

"Iden, no!" Del cut in. "It's suicide! They've got too much firepower on us."

"Yeah, well, that's not my fault, is it?" Iden cringed as a bullet lodged in the door she was behind, just above her. "If we don't capture him, we won't find out how much else is out there."

"Wait, hold on a moment."Shriv grabbed her arm and pointed to a struggling group of officers. "Over there. Let's help them first- we've got an angle on them."

Iden didn't recognize what PD they were from, but she had to agree. "I really wish we had a couple of grenades on us!" She said, but alas, they were not allowed such weapons in the police force, and it was punishable by consequences she did not want to go through.

She and Shriv together changed their position so that they were now angled towards the offenders. Seeing the caliber of some of the weapons around them, she had an idea. _No grenades? Make your own explosive._

She fired a shot straight for a flamethrower a few yards away from the mob and watched it explode with satisfaction. "Del? Be sure to get a few ambulances out here. We'll need them for both sides."

"Got it. I'm still about five minutes out." 

Scanning the area, Iden's eyes caught something. a back entrance, almost void of defenders. She nudged Shriv, pointed it out, and announced. "You stay here and wait for Del. I'm going to try in and get my dad."

"Iden, no-" 

"Too late!" She turned off her radio and ducked under the line of fire, making a run for it. She was reckless, she knew, but that just meant the guys her father had hired to do his dirty work were idiots for leaving a whole entrance unguarded. Iden found herself in the pristine lobby that reminded her not so fond;ly of the one in her father's other office building.

Too late, the possibility of a trap came to her when suddenly she heard a familiar voice. "Where do you think you're going?" Sneered Gideon Hask, pointing a gun at her _again._ It had been a year since they had last seen each other in person. Iden froze, but the remembered that she now had a weapon as well and pointed her gun right back at him. 

"Did you know I would be here, or did my father tell you."

"Would one hurt more than the other?" He sneered. "Knowing that I replaced you as his pride and joy?'

"My father never really liked you, Hask. You know that. He just uses you like he does everyone else."

"It's funny you think that, given that he told me to kill you and Del."

"So, who holds the bigger grudge?" Iden asked. Hask's response was to shoot at her, shattering a vase she had been standing beside, and run. Iden followed from the lobby, but lost him in the next room as it was full of boxes of weapons and ammunition. Remembering her stunt outside, Iden was suddenly nervous. One stray bullet, and she was going up in flames. A terrible way to die.

"He just told me to do something that would bring you running. He's tired of you interfering in his plans."

"You must not have done a very good job, then, even if I know you must have jumped at the opportunity." Iden taunted the room, waiting for him to shoot so she could know where to aim her gun. She knew Hask. Hask, her friend. Hask, the _psychopath,_ who had no control over his emotions and followed the biggest man in the room without hesitation.

It was worth a shot.

"I never wanted to be your enemy, Hask."She said, closing her eyes and listening for footsteps.

"Yeah? Well, you shouldn't have turned your back on- on your father!"

"I did what i had to do. People were gonna die, Hask. I know you know that's wrong."

A floorboard creaked. Iden whirled, and saw him standing behind her. "And I will see that you're one of them."

Iden shot first, but Hask was quicker, more than she remembered they both ducked behind cover. "And you? Did the military reject you once they realized what a deadbeat you are?" 

"Your father offered me better!" Hask spat. "You know, he has powerful friends. You should have stayed loyal to him."

"I think you mean that he's _corrupt."_ Iden corrected. "But knowing you, you wouldn't know corrupt if it slapped you in the face."

"I don't ask questions where power is involved. That's what keeps life interesting."

Below Iden, the floor shook. Outside the window, she saw that someone had called in the SWAT team, who were better equipped for this kind of combat. They had better weapons, and downstairs was a mess of tear gas, flash-bangs and wild shots from both the police and her father's men. Nobody seemed to care how flammable it was around here. At least, as far as she knew, she was the only officer in the building.

Good. 

"I gotta take you in, Hask. Though technically, I should kill you." Iden waited for him to make a stupid move, to step out and show himself.

"You wouldn't. You're too weak. You're too pathetic. You wouldn't _dare-"_

He never got to finish the insult. Iden fired when she had the chance, and didn't even wait to see where he fell. She kept running, up the stairs. 

It wasn't that she didn't feel regret in shooting Hask, but she just knew that there was a time and a place to reflect on it, and right now was not one of those times. It was time to keep going, and maybe she could still rescue her father from his fate. His pride would be the reason he survived.

The building's foundation shook again, and Iden knew she had a limited amount of time.

"Dad!" She yelled, after rushing into his enormous office. He looked much too casual, just looking out the window and into the chaos beyond. His eyebrows raised slightly as if he were surprised she had come all the way here for him. 

"You would ask me to spend the rest of my life in jail?" Versio asked. "No, Iden."

"I am _not_ letting you die." Iden ran forward and grasped his arm. "We need to go. Now!"

Something exploded under them, and everything shook.Instinctively, Iden pulled her father away from the window, holding him up as he stumbled. Suddenly awkward, she couldn’t look at him. 

Iden couldn’t remember the last time she’d had physical contact with her father. He’d rarely hugged her, even as a child. Iden doubted she’d even find pictures of him holding her as a baby. All her life, she’d just been in the background of his life. 

Yet here she was, trying to save him.

Garrick Versio’s hand lingered for just a second before he slipped it out of Iden’s grasp.

For a moment, Garrick Versio regarded his daughter:the similarities between Iden and his late wife, saw her new police uniform. The _opposite_ of what he could have wanted for her, yet...

"I never meant to hurt you, Iden." He said softly, coughing a bit, as smoke rose from the lower floors. Iden put her arm to her mouth in order to help filter it out, but it hardly helped. "I just wanted you to be _stronger._ I thought I needed a son, but here you were, in front of me this entire time. Strong enough to learn from my mistakes. I was so angry at first, but now I see it-" He wanted to say more, but he was old, and his lungs compromised already. Iden didn't know if he was actually apologizing, or if he just thought he could make her appreciate him now that she had finally _won._

"I'm not going to let you die."She insisted. "You deserve better than this!" _At least, even if you go to jail, I will still have some family left. Even if it's you, you lying, cheating, abusive bastard._

"No, I don't."He said, echoing her sentiment. "But you do. You know I won't make it out of here. So go! Survive." He coughed, and waved her off. "Live."  He had a point, as the way out was now much too smoky, and filled with falling debris, and the very foundation of the building was crumbling. Even so, for a moment, she entertained the thought of trying to get her father out, carrying him if she had to, but knew it was just not possible. Besides, every second wasted was another moment that meant she could be trapped here, forever. And she had something to live for, even if her father had nothing left.

Iden saw the pistol on is belt, knew that even her stubborn father was not going to surrender himself to a fiery demise. He would shoot himself as soon as she left him alone.

_At least it will be quick._

Iden shut her eyes tightly, pulled her collar up over her mouth, and ran, tripping several times down the stairs until she could just see the light of the outdoors.

Then she fell, her arm outstretched to the light, as the building collapsed.

As the building exploded, Del felt inconceivable horror grip his heart- he had lost someone he loved _, again?_

And it was all as a result of his not sticking with Iden when she needed him most. Not being more firm and insisting that she wait, just being a bit faster to get to her side-

And as everyone, officers, paramedics, firefighters, backed up, Del went running _for_ the burning building, screaming Iden's name. He looked around, frantically searching for any sign of her, even as he felt the hot, searing, kiss of the flames.

"Iden!"

No, no. not again. I am _not_ losing her! "Iden!"

He heard a noise, faintly, close to him, and he dropped to his knees to hear better. Then-

"Del..."Iden groaned, coughing, from under a pair of i-beams restricting her movements. Using all his strength, Del hooked his arms under her shoulders and pulled until she was free. Then he was carrying her, his arms steady and sure around her as she gasped for breaths. 

But then, she looked up at Del. 

She was not supposed to have made it out of that building. But she did. And she was alive. 

The fire department worked to contain the fire even as Del carried her away from the chaos, and for several moments, she just watched everything burn behind her. 

Her father.

Hask.

The Empire.

But she was alive. She was alive, and Del was holding her and she was safe. Iden's eyes burned and she was crying from the smoke. "Can you stand?" He asked, and she nodded, holding onto him for support and getting feeling back into her numb legs. He watched her, concerned, but he was also smiling. 

"Well,"he decided. "It's over. We did it."

"It's over?" 

"Everyone's either in custody, in an ambulance, or-" he didn't finish, but he didn't need to.

"Oh, Del..." Iden breathed. It was so good to be breathing in fresh air into her screaming lungs, to feel it against her heated skin. But it wasn't as good as being looked at like Del regarded her. Like she was the most beautiful woman alive. 

Damning protocol, she reached for Del’s face and pulled him in for a kiss, even if they were both dirty, and her face was covered in soot and he smelled of sweat and smoke, but he kissed her back without any of that in mind, winding his strong arms around her and smiling against her lips. This was what each of them had secretly been waiting for all along, but each were waiting for the other to start.

After what seemed like forever, someone cleared their throat.

Shriv. 

Iden and Del loosed a laugh even as they still held onto each other, at least turning to look at their friend. He looked surprised, but also not, and had the annoyed look of someone who had caught a few more criminals up to no good.

”Just came to check up on you.” He said. “But everything seems good around here.”

”Looks that way.” Iden responded. 

“I’m glad.” Shriv said, then turned to leave. “Carry on.”

Iden and Del laughed breathlessly again, looking into each others eyes until Iden began to cough heavily. Being trapped in a burning building seemed to have caught up with her, and her throat burned a bit. “I’d better get checked out.”

”Yeah.” Del agreed, still a bit flustered by the kiss. His cheeks were flushed, but the smile hadn’t left his face for awhile, even as Iden’s hand slipped from his and she voluntarily surrendered herself to an on-site EMT. 

About an hour later, at the hospital, she was deemed free to go after a few minutes spent getting fresh oxygen into her lungs and getting her burns looked at (none of them were too severe, as her uniform had mostly protected her.) There was a bit of permanent damage, but nothing that would hinder her much in the future. Mostly, it would just be annoying.

The door to her room opened and Del and Seyn came in. Del had changed before picking up Seyn, and it was obvious Seyn had come straight from school because she looked frazzled and still carried her backpack. She dropped it and ran towards Iden, wrapping her in a hug. “Hi, Seyn.”

The younger girl just squeezed tightly. “It’s over?”

”It’s over.” They separated, and Iden addressed the both of them. “I’m free to go. Let’s head out.”

<><><><><><><><><><>

They had two funerals to attend. Both were small, with only a few people. Both did not have a body to bury. 

Iden didn’t truly want to go to either of them. But at least it gave her a chance to stop by her mother’s grave as well, after laying a single flower at Hask’s and her father’s graves. Del and Seyn waited for her, a respectful distance away. 

She trudged towards them. “Ready to go?” Del asked kindly. She had a lot of affairs to settle now, being the sole beneficiary of her father’s belongings.   
  
“Yes. I think so.” Iden wasn’t looking forward to going to her childhood home, or to clean out her mother’s old house (her father had kept paying for it, for some reason, and while Iden loved the place it was just too far out of the way to move in to permanently.) 

Del drove for awhile, into the rich inner-city of Vardos, to the large apartments where her father resided. The trio rode to the top, and Iden retrieved all as needed in one trip. (Her room had been cleaned out before, and the only other things to pay attention to was a box of several important documents he had mentioned in his will. 

Other than that, Iden left the apartment alone, to be cleaned and sold to someone else. 

She didn’t bother looking through the papers yet, they were just old bank statements, mostly, and Iden knew now the kind of things her father had been up to. She didn’t need to look. 

A considerable amount of time later, Del pulled into her mother’s house. Iden tasked Seyn with packing up her old room and sent Del to begin packing up all the dishes and whatnot in the kitchen. She wandered to her mother’s room and immersed herself there, going through the shelves upon shelves of sentimental books, artwork, and more. One such scrapbook caught her eye and soon she was looking through it, distracted by her work. 

“What’d you find?” Del asked from the doorway. He’d come to ask a question and found her there with the book across her knees. 

“Nothing. Just an old scrapbook.” Iden ran her hand over one of the pages. “I really do look like my mom. And look at my dad, I’ve never seen a picture of him this young.” Iden squinted a bit, realizing his blonde hair and younger features. Del sat down beside her, also looking. 

Iden turned a page. “A copy of my birth certificate.” She said, unfolding the piece of paper, glancing at it, and then holding it out to Del as if he wanted to look. Interested, he did, and his eyes narrowed. 

”Iden.” He began, after rereading it three times. “This... this isn’t yours.”

”What?” Iden asked, taking it back. Her eyes ran over it, and sure enough. The certificate had a date six years after Iden’s birth, and an entirely different day, too. 

”Hold on a moment.” She said. “October fifth, two-thousand and three. That’s- wait a second.”

”It’s got both of you parents’ names on it.” Del pointed out. “Is this saying that your parents had another child?"

”Another girl.” Iden clarified. “And the birth date... that would have been a few months after my parents’ divorce. I know my mother couldn’t have...” She trailed off. 

“What are you thinking?” Del wondered. He frowned at the mysterious document. The fact that it didn't have a first name didn’t help things. And Del knew that lying about parentage on such a certificate was a crime. 

Iden had a sister. 

The news shocked him, but Iden didn’t seem to comprehend it yet.

”I can just... I can just remember fragments of their arguments.” Iden closed her eyes tightly. “My father was mad because he was having a daughter. All this time I thought it was me, but...” 

“You mean, your father divorced your mother over the fact he was having a girl?” Del asked, appalled, even if it did seem like a Garrick Versio thing to do. 

”There’s got to be more to it...” Iden said, flipping the page of the scrapbook. She found pictures, of her mother and a baby she had always just assumed was her. But thinking about context clues... 

“Wait, here’s something.” Del pulled out a piece of stationary. “Woah. I can’t read this. It’s in Sanscrit, not Persian.” 

Iden read over the first few lines and then dropped it like it had burned her. “What is it?” Del asked softly. 

“My father forced my mother to put the baby up for adoption. He was too ashamed. That was another argument they had. My mother wanted to take me, and the baby, but my father wouldn’t have it.” 

“Does it say anything else? Does it say your sister’s name?”   
  
“Her birth name.” Iden said. “Who knows where she is now.” 

“Hold on. I think I saw something in your father’s portfolio." Del stood up and jogged out to the car while Iden continued reading. Tears filled her eyes as she finished her mother’s letter. A letter that nobody but she had read. Biting back a sob, both out of sadness and anger, she went back to the certificate. 

October fifth. She read again. What is so familiar about October fifth. 

“Iden?” Seyn asked from the doorway, and Iden startled. ”What do you want me to do with this?” She asked, holding up an old stuffed animal that Iden had slept with every night until her father threatened to toss it into the fireplace. So Iden had hidden it here. 

Iden held out her arms and beckoned her closer. Seyn did, and saw how obviously distraught Iden was. “What’s the matter?”

“October fifth.” Iden murmured. 

”Oh, have you forgotten?” Seyn chirped, oblivious to the situation. “That’s my birthday. October fifth, two-thousand and three.”

Iden froze. 

”What is it?” Seyn asked, a bit frightened. Heavy footsteps came behind her as Del re-entered the room. 

“Seyn.” Iden said very, very quietly. “You were adopted, right?”

”Yep. When I was born.” 

“Do you know anything about your real family?”

”Not much. My memory didn’r work back then. All my adoptive parents ever told me was that my father was in the Navy and that my mother had named me something else when I was born, but they changed it and got me a new birth certificate.”

Del caught onto the tense situation, and a silent breath left his lips. _No way. Could this be how Admiral Versio knew where to find Seyn? How to find her? This is why they look so similar._

 _”_ Do you know your real name?” 

Seyn shook her head. 

”What time were you born?”   
  
“Early in the morning. Three fifty-six.” 

Wordlessly, Iden held out the letter and the copy of the birth certificate. Puzzled, Seyn began to read, and then her eyes widened, too. 

“And your mother had this?” She asked. 

“Yes.” Iden said, shakily. “There’s something missing, though. I don’t know how my father knew what happened to you-“

”Right here.” Del said, handing Iden one of the copies of the bank statement she had declined to look at. 

”Of course.” Iden put her face in her hands and laughed mirthlessly. “Of- freaking- course! He controlled everything! Look at this. Constant payments. No, _bribes_ , to a family by the name of Marana.” 

Seyn was uncomfortably silent. Iden and Del both looked at her. Then, very slowly, the girl looked up. “I’ve known.” She whispered. “Somehow, I’ve always known. Since the day I met you!”

”And my mother.” Iden sniffed. “Our mother. That’s why she loved you so much. Because she knew- she somehow knew- but she never told us _because of our father_!” Iden was crying angry tears. “Our mother died thinking you were gone, Seyn! I told her you were gone!” Horror came across Iden’s face. “I may have _killed_ her with that news!”

”You didn’t know what else to say.” Seyn assured her. She slipped down to Iden’s level and slid into her arms silently, flipping around the pages in the book. Her nose crinkled.

”What?” Iden wondered. 

“I look like the admiral in this picture.” Said Seyn, and it was so unexpected that Iden laughed. She laughed, and hugged Seyn. She had come to think of her as a younger sister only to find out that she _was_ her younger sister. Of course, they'd need a bit of confirmation by finding the original and changed document.

Del still stood there, awkwardly, watching Iden and Seyn laugh together. Until he heard Seyn ask. “Does this mean I get to be the maid of honor at your wedding?”

”What? What wedding?” Iden asked. 

“Del’s been wanting to propose to you for weeks. I saw the ring. Just thought I’d get ahead of the ballgame.” 

Iden looked from Seyn to Del. He was flushing, but not because he was embarrassed, but because it was true. Then Iden said something that surprised him even more. 

“Oh, I already knew that. I found the ring while I was putting away laundry in his dresser.” 

They both laughed at the poor man’s expense. Del was feeling so many emotions even if he had no right to be. He had lost his brothers Cade, Elias, and even Hask... and Iden had found Seyn, her sister. It was so beautifully poetic, and he was so happy for them. 

But darn it all, Seyn’s attitude came through again. One day, she was going to ruin something truly important. 

Del wouldn’t mind...Too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bam. 
> 
> This is the explanation my brain came up with for why Admiral Versio knew where to find Seyn. Also, the book constantly refers to Iden as Versio's "onLy ChiLd" and that made me major suspicious, that paired with Seyn always being described as looking like Iden.....
> 
> Fite me.
> 
> (Stay turned for a bit more to come)


	33. Epilogue

They married a year later, just as Seyn had seen it coming. 

And the next three years were... pretty normal. Seyn turned 18 and was finally a legal adult, thought she still had lots of school left for her chosen career path. Iden and Del both climbed the ranks while maintaining a healthy marriage and love life, even if their shifts didn’t always add up and sometimes one of them would go to bed and/or wake up alone.

Such was the life, although it was so much more mundane, with traffic stops being a pleasant experience compared to the hell that had been dealing with a criminal empire. And best of all, they were both _good_ at it. And they were doing good, until-

“She turned in her keys, Shriv!” Del said exasperated and confused. 

Shriv sipped his coffee nonchalantly. “You didn’t know? It was like 2 weeks ago.” 

“I know, but- Iden hates desk work with a passion. Why has she suddenly embraced it?”

Shriv muttered something about women not being his strong point and went back to whatever he was doing before Del had barged in to rant about his wife. 

She could be so.... confusing, sometimes. But Del went home with a smile on his face as if nothing was wrong. He still loved her, after all, even if she could become distant and confusing. He would wait for her to bring it up. 

“Where’s your sister?” He asked when he came home to Iden cooking dinner alone. 

“Taking some test.” Iden shrugged as Del came up behind her and kissed her cheek, wrapping his arms around her waist. She hummed contentedly and tilted her head. “How was work?”

”Pleasantly boring.” He said back. “We did kind of start a military-style prank war, though. Kes Dameron is definitely coming for me. How are you?”

”Tired. I’m headed to bed right after I eat.”

”Oh. Okay.” He said, trying not to sound too disappointed. He’d wanted to talk, maybe stay up together and watch a movie. Maybe Iden was just going through something like she occasionally did. Just like Del had moments around April and May, Iden had hers year round.

He went off to their bedroom to change into casual clothes, dragging his uniform to the laundry room and putting it in to wash.

Seyn came home later to find Del sitting alone at the dinner table, half-eaten plate in front of him. “Is everything okay?” She asked, and Del lifted his head. 

“I don’t understand, Seyn. Iden won’t talk to me but I want to know why she did what she did.”

Seyn slid into a chair and her eyes flitted about nervously. “Is she asleep?” 

“She said she was going to bed right after dinner.”

”What is it that she did?” 

“She turned in her keys and took a leave from active duty.” Del said. “And she didn’t tell me or talk to me, so I’m worried.”

”I’m sure she just doesn’t want to be putting herself in too much danger right now.” Seyn said casually.

”What do you mean?” Del asked. 

“She hasn’t told you?” Seyn furrowed her eyebrows. “Well, then again, she hasn’t told me anything either....”

”Told me what?” Del prodded. 

“I think she may be a bit scared to tell you, but I’m almost one hundred percent positive that she’s pregnant.”

“What?!” Del exclaimed. If that was the truth, why was she hiding it? How long had it been? Why wasn’t Seyn freaking out or having an attitude about this like she usually did with anything concerning their relationship?

But most importantly...

”Why is she scared?” Del wondered.

”Maybe because of what our mother went through, you know with all her miscarriages and all. She’ll probably tell you once she’s sure that won’t happen. For now, just give her space.”

”Give her space?!” Del echoed. “I want to do the opposite! I want to help her! Protect her!” He lowered his head and groaned. “Seyn, if this is true, I’m not going to sit second base.”

She shrugged, then set down her cup of tea. “You didn’t hear it from me.” 

Del was wary around Iden after that, even if the prospect of fatherhood made him blind with happiness. He knew he would no doubt expose the fact that he knew and just thought of the easiest way to approach it. 

Iden shifted in his arms one morning, and Del let her go, half expecting her to go throw up like pregnant women did but, no, she didn’t. In fact, Del hadn’t seen her do it at all, even if Shriv had seen her do it a couple times under the guise of carsickness. But, no, Iden got out of bed and went straight for the kitchen. An interesting development, because neither Iden nor Seyn were big breakfast eaters. But Del followed her and found her just in time to see her trying to reach for some of the snacks he kept on top of the fridge. 

“And here I thought Seyn was the one stealing my food.” He said, and Iden quickly turned, awkwardly juggling a bag of chips before it landed in her arms. “It was _you_.”

“What? I’m hungry.” Iden said, and Del gestured to the entirety of the kitchen, mainly the fruit that was sitting out, ripe for the taking. 

“Since when do you like junk food?” 

“Since I suddenly can’t get enough salt.” She said back, still opening the bag and pouring some out into a bowl. Some of it spilled and Dio gladly cleaned it up, then stationed himself at Iden’s feet.

A little guilty, Iden held the rest of the bag out to Del. He took it, but didn’t eat, rather leaned against the counter and looked down, forming his words. 

“Iden?” He asked. “Remember what we talked about a couple years ago? About always being honest with each other?” That sentiment had stemmed from the fact that Iden had nearly watched him kill himself after a particularly bad PTSD meltdown. Thank god the pistol had misfired, else he wouldn’t be standing here.

”Yeah.” She munched on, oblivious. “Are you having problems again? Do we need to find someone again?” Iden thought he had been doing well, no nightmares for awhile.

”Are you pregnant?” He blurted. 

“How did you know?” Iden demanded, eyes narrowing. “Was it Seyn?” 

“No, no.” Del chuckled a bit. “I happen to be more perceptive than you think. And catching you like this... it’s been a month now, hasn’t it.” 

She nodded, and to Del’s surprise, she looked _scared_. “I didn’t say anything because I wanted to make sure it all worked out. You know, my mom had tons of problems with pregnancy and I just wanted to make sure I made it out of the first trimester okay.” 

“I would’ve liked to know as soon as you did.” Del said softly. 

“I didn’t want to hurt you, Del!” She exclaimed. “What if I did- do- miscarry? I know how much you want a family, Del, and I couldn’t do that.” 

“So you would lie to me entirely? Is that it?”

She bit her lip.

” _Have_ you?” Del wondered, but she shook her head no. Thank goodness for the little things. 

”You don’t understand what’s been going through my head, Del.” 

“I’m not trying to. I was just hoping we could share the experience together. No matter what happens.” He walked over to her and gathered her into his arms. Iden melted into them. “I love you. And remember, your mother still had two beautiful daughters. Maybe we will, too.” 

”Yeah...” she murmured, and closed her eyes and leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, more specifically her belly, and let one settle there. Nothing had changed yet. ”I don’t want to go work today.” 

“Neither do I.” Del said, a slight grin. “But don’t worry. I’m going to take you out tonight. Wherever you want to go.”

”Wherever?”

”Wherever.” He said, and watched Iden begin to think, hard. 

On the stairs above the kitchen, Seyn smiled ever so slightly as she heard the argument die down. She had been right, of course, and if betraying Iden’s trust had been what it took to fix their problem then so be it. 

But still-

“Seyn!” Iden called, and the younger girl actually jumped up in fear and ran back to her room as quietly as she could. 

<><><><><><><><><><>

And life changed _again._ Iden and Del both cut down on work and scheduling and soon days that were usually full of patrols and traffic stops were now occupied with bathtimes and naptimes after Chaol Meeko was born. Iden gravitated back to work, but Del was a well suited stay-at-home dad. And if both of them were gone, Seyn spoiled her nephew rotten. 

Maybe it was because Del felt the guilt of nearly missing his son’s birth. He had been on call, and Seyn had had to call Shriv to turn and yell at Del to check the _twenty-seven unread messages on his phone_ because she was _not_ studying to be a midwife! 

He’d rushed into her hospital room for the last hour or so. And their family had been made complete.

Chaol grew bigger, Del worked less, and Iden got promotions. Soon _she_ was missing things: school events, baseball games (which Del and Uncle Shriv coached. It was very entertaining.) and before she knew it her son was ten years old and she was expecting another baby, a girl, who had been a complete surprise because she was already forty and her hair was completely grey. 

“You won’t miss this one, will you?” She teased Del. 

“I have it on my calendar.” The only reason he could be that confident about it was because their daughter would end up being a c-section. And so, Zay was born and became the apple of her father’s eye, and their family was complete. For real, this time. Iden had made sure of it. 

“Mom, can I go to Ben’s house tonight?” Chaol asked. Ben was a few years older than Chaol, the son of Commissioner Leia Organa and Iden and Del were quite inclined to trust their family. 

“Did you finish your homework?” 

“Of course I did, it was easy. Just fractions and dem-i-cals.” 

Iden flashed Del a grin and he laughed softly behind the book he was reading. “Come on, I’ll take you over.”

She did, and Del was left in the house alone with his eight week old daughter and Dio, who had considerably slowed down in life, Del knew that it would soon be the end for the faithful dog but refused to think it out loud. 

“And you.” Del said, lifting Zay from her crib. “You won’t be hanging around any nasty boys, will you? No, you won’t. Daddy’s got a shotgun for just that purpose.” 

The little girl just stared at him until she heard “shotgun”. Then she smiled. Del told himself it was just a coincidence.

He sat down with Zay and helped Dio up on the couch beside them. Chaol had learned to walk partly by hanging onto Dio’s back and the dog had been more than happy to cooperate until Chaol grabbed his tail or his ears. It was the only time he had ever growled at one of his pack, and the only time Del had ever gotten mad and put him outside. 

Now, Zay pulled on his ears all she wanted, and Dio was just too tired to care. 

“You know, we were gonna get you a little puppy, but you got Zay instead.” Del told him, and could have sworn the dog rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance. “At least you don’t ask to “put her back” like Chaol does.”

Zay babbled like “excuse me, I am an _angel_.” And Del couldn’t agree more. Both the kids actually got along famously, but Zay wasn’t half as loud as Chaol had been, or half as needy. 

Iden returned a few moments later and joined Del on his other side, pretending to find and pick out a grey hair on his head. It was a joke between them, because while Iden had been completely grey by 38 Del seemed to not age, except for the beard he’d grown. Iden wanted him to shave it, but then remembered how afraid Chaol had been after Del had shaved his beard when he was a baby.

”We get her to sleep, it’ll be a quiet night.” Iden said, leaning her head on Del’s shoulder. 

“I was just working on that.” He responded, holding a bottle to Zay’s lips. She had proven to be a much better eater than Chaol ever was, (must have her father’s appetite), and it would often take a few different bottles to make her full. Knowing this, Iden went to fix another. 

”Have you talked to Luke lately?” She asked Del.

”Yeah, he’s come back from working away. Now he’s doing something at Ben’s school.”

”SRO?”

”Maybe. I’m not totally sure. We usually don’t talk about work.” 

“What _do_ men talk about?”

“Sports.” Del said sarcastically. “And I like to brag about my family.”

”What’s there to brag about?” Iden teased, handing him the next bottle before Zay got fussy. 

“Well, I have an adorable daughter who can do no wrong-“ Del began, right as Zay spat up a bit and he looked down at her in a bit of a shock. “And a wonderful son who’s every bit as athletic as I was and will probably earn himself a baseball scholarship one day, and, last but certainly not least, I have a beautiful wife who I love with every fibre of my body and whose smile lights up my world.”

”Oh, do you, now?” She settled back down, watching Zay but focusing more on him. 

“How could I not?” Del stood up to begin to encourage Zay to sleep with her belly full. Iden could see her little eyes fluttering shut as her head laid on Del’s shoulder, and he was smiling still. “Look, she’s getting some hair in. We don’t need to stress over hats anymore.” 

“She’s got too big a head anyway.” 

“Maybe headbands? You _know_ how many people think she’s a boy.” 

“Maybe she’ll grow up and be a tomboy like me.” Iden shrugged. “You may as well have two boys, Del.”

He fake pouted, and checked to see if Zay was asleep. She was out like a light.

”I’ll be right back.” He said, leaving to go lay her down in the crib. Iden waited on the couch, leaning over to pet Dio. ”You doing alright, buddy?” 

He opened an eye and wagged the tip of his tail weakly. Iden pursed her lips. She couldn’t tell if he was sick or just tired. They needed to get him to the vet soon. 

“Our quiet night begins now.” Del said, shutting the door to their room. “What should we do? We could eat Chaol’s Halloween candy stash and blame it on Seyn, or we could open that bottle of wine we hid in the fridge, or-“ his eyes went wide in fake surprise. “We could even watch an _R-rated movie!_

”How about all three, in that order.” Iden decided, already heading to grab a handful of their son’s candy. 

“I’ll get the wine.” 

It was a nice night, even if Iden fell asleep halfway through the movie after drinking slightly more than Del and Del couldn’t actually focus on the movie too much without getting triggers. But he held her in his arms just like he had when they were in college. He huffed a breath. _College._ That seemed so long ago, when he and Iden and Seyn and... 

Hask.

Dels would never admit it, but he missed the younger man. Losing his brothers and then losing him, too? It had been a lot to take in. Sometimes, Del called Hask’s phone just to hear his voice on the recording.

He wouldn’t have done this if the man were still alive.

But he wasn’t. His body was impossible to recover, and even if it had been he would be six feet under, beneath the tombstone that bore his name with the complimentary flowers that the cemetery put down, even if Del snuck by and put something occasionally on the man’s birthday.

Iden never mentioned him, and in their house his name was almost like a cuss word. Chaol had walked up to Iden and asked who “Gideon Hask” was and Iden had knelt down and told him that “Gideon Hask was a bad man, and we don’t talk about him, okay?” And given such a fake smile that Chaol had never asked about it again. Even Seyn was sour towards him, which was like the worst insult of all.

Del always thought getting married and having kids would help him forget his old life and family, but it didn’t. In fact, it made it harder. 

But that didn’t mean he would give it up for anything. 

He turned off the TV and pulled his wife closer against his chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my other story “Recovery” if you are also a fan of the Iden/Del slow burn. (Or just Iden/Del in general.) Please don’t let the warnings scare you away, I only did it out of obligation and to be safe. Nothing’s too bad. If not, I’ve got others, too.
> 
> In the meantime, don’t stop reviewing!


End file.
